The Boston Bruins knew that when they acquired Pat Maroon at the trade deadline from the Minnesota Wild, that he would not be able to play right away. Maroon was rehabbing from back surgery, and the Bruins were willing to wait until he was healthy enough to play his physical game against tough opponents.
That time has apparently surfaced, as Maroon is likely to play for the Bruins when they take the ice Saturday night in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. Pittsburgh is fighting to gain a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs and they have been surging after playing inconsistently throughout the majority of the season.
Maroon is anxious to compete for the Bruins once they start their playoff run next week. The Bruins have long been known for their physical style, but they have gone away from that in recent years and they were pushed around to a degree in last year’s postseason upset at the hands of the Florida Panthers. If Maroon can stay healthy and contribute on a consistent basis, the Bruins may be able to go on a long run in the 2024 postseason.
He believes that playing against a team like the Penguins that is fighting for their playoff lives will be a great test for him. “Obviously we’re playing a Pittsburgh team that’s trying to get in the playoffs,” Maroon said. “So it’s a good start for me. Gets me ready for the playoffs here.”
Maroon has a great playoff resume
The Bruins and Maroon are quite familiar with each other. Maroon was a member of the St. Louis Blues in 2019 when that team won their only Stanley Cup. St. Louis defeated Boston in seven games in that series. Maroon’s hard hitting and physical style played a key role for the Blues throughout that playoff season and especially in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Bruins.
Maroon was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning the following two years and that team won the Stanley Cup each of those years. They also happened to beat the Bruins during both of Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup runs.
While Maroon tormented the Bruins throughout that those three playoff seasons, he announced that he was very happy to be with the Original Six team shortly after the deal was announced.
Maroon has been out of action for 10 weeks since his surgery. He had 4 goals and 12 assists along with 60 penalty minutes in 49 games before he had his surgery.
Head coach Jim Montgomery said a final decision will be made on Maroon in Saturday’s pregame state, but he said the Pat Maroon was progressing well and that he would play against the Penguins if there were no unexpected issues.
“We got to see how he responds tomorrow,” Montgomery said. “That was a 40-minute practice. He’s a part of every drill for the first time on a regular rotation, so we’ll see how he is tomorrow morning.”
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