How One Season Changed Patrick Maroon’s Career

Maroon continued to work away at a permanent NHL roster spot when the 2016 Trade Deadline rolled around. Here is where we see the career turning point for the “Big Rig”.

Oilers Acquire Maroon at the Deadline

At the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline, the Ducks were competing for a playoff spot as well as a division title and needed to make space on their roster for some playoff rentals. Consequently, they sent Maroon to the Edmonton Oilers for a pick and a prospect. The deal didn’t seem like much at the time, given the fact that Anaheim just wanted to offload some salary while Edmonton sat in the basement of the Pacific Division. Maroon played out the remainder of the regular season in Edmonton and they rode out another rebuilding year.

It was the next season that made this trade more than it initially was. It also potentially changed the trajectory of Maroon’s entire career.

The Magical 2016-17 Season

Maroon’s first official season as an Oiler is one etched in the minds of Oilers fans everywhere. This was Connor McDavid‘s sophomore season, and after a tough injury in his rookie year, fans were ready to see him at full speed. This was also the inaugural season of Rogers Place in Edmonton, an exciting new chapter for the city.

Maroon was placed on a line primarily with McDavid and rising star at the time Leon Draisaitl. This was a brand new concept for Maroon, who for most of his career so far had been played in the bottom-six. With two future Hart Trophy winners at his side, it was time to show people another side of himself.

Maroon shocked the league during this season, scoring 27 goals and totalling 42 points. He became the go-to option and personal protector for McDavid and Draisaitl on the Oilers’ top line. He was the workhorse that would drive the net and create space for his linemates to shoot or pass it to him. He would add three more goals during the Oilers’ short postseason run, making it an unofficial 30-goal season. They would ultimately fall to Maroon’s former team in Anaheim in seven games, though it was a spirited series. But to think, if the Ducks had not made that deadline deal, who knows if Maroon ever accomplishes what he does in Edmonton. A career fourth-liner up to that point scoring a career-high 30 goals? That’s impressive. This is important because his play in Edmonton set the rest of his career in motion without him even knowing it.

Trade to New Jersey

After the Oilers’ surprise run into the playoffs in 2017, there was a bit of a drop-off the following season. They didn’t play up to the lofty expectations set out by the media, and faced heavy scrutiny. Maroon still managed to post a respectable 30 points in 57 games with Edmonton that season. However, with the playoffs being too far out of reach that season, he was dealt to the New Jersey Devils for a prospect and a draft pick. He would reunite with former teammate Taylor Hall to make a short playoff run, but it was much more than that.

Maroon being sought after by a playoff contender such as New Jersey at the time really shows the shift in his career path. Once a borderline NHL player to the potential missing piece on a playoff roster, only more good things were on the way.

Homecoming Stanley Cup & More

After his short stint with the Devils, Maroon took a hometown discount and joined the St. Louis Blues. And in a storybook season in his hometown, he claimed his first Stanley Cup. But that’s not all.

He then spent the next four seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he claimed back-to-back titles. He was a key depth piece on the Lightning’s championship rosters, potting 29 total goals and double-digit points each season.

Following his championship years, Maroon has since spent time in Minnesota, Boston, and now Chicago. He remains a solid, bottom-six forward, even north of 35 years old. He has had many memorable moments over the years, such as his overtime winner against the Dallas Stars that sent the Blues to the Stanley Cup Final. And while most will remember him for things like that, it’s important to note his early years and how he got here.

Without Maroon’s time in Edmonton, we may not be talking about him as a Cup champion. Who knows where he ends up if this breakout year never comes? Let’s just be glad it did, because hockey is all the better having a player and person like him around.