Jeff Marek Links Pat Maroon To Top Stanley Cup Contender

In a recent paper, Jeff Marek linked the Chicago Blackhawks' forward Pat Maroon to one of the top Stanley Cup contenders in the Eastern Conference: the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Pat Maroon is one of the six active players in the NHL to have won three Stanley Cups in his career, along with Marc-André Fleury, Alec Martinez, Evgeni Malkin, Patrick Kane, and Sidney Crosby.

He won it for the first time with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 and with the Tampa Bay Lightning's back-to-back wins in 2020 and 2021.

Now, the 36-year-old veteran is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, when his one-year, $1.3M deal with the Chicago Blackhawks expires.

Once again this year, the Blackhawks are poised to be sellers at the trade deadline, with Pat Maroon likely being one of their available players due to his contract situation and his playoff experience.

Teams looking to add physicality and experience to their forward groups should be interested.

In the playoffs, you need men like Maroon to step up to give their teammates momentum in crucial moments, but most importantly, when the team on the other side brings the heat.

Jeff Marek wrote that the Tampa Bay Lightning should be interested in getting Maroon back, especially if the team wants to prepare for another matchup against the Florida Panthers.

In his own words:

'I imagine Chicago's Pat Maroon will be on the move by the NHL trade deadline, with a few teams out there looking for toughness along with 'rings in the room.' Maroon checks both those boxes. If you're Tampa, do you consider a reunion knowing you'll probably have to go through the Florida Panthers at some point in the playoffs?'