As a part of our THW Chicago summer time sequence, we’ll introduce you to all of the gamers the Chicago Blackhawks acquired by way of free company and trades this offseason. On this newest version, we check out ahead Pat Maroon, whom the Blackhawks signed on July 1 to a one-year, $1.3 million contract.
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The 36-year-old ahead break up the 2023-24 season with the Minnesota Wild and Boston Bruins, scoring 4 targets and 12 assists for 16 factors in 51 regular-season video games, in addition to two assists in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff video games with the Bruins final spring.
Via 13 NHL seasons, Maroon has recorded 121 targets and 183 assists for 304 factors in 780 profession regular-season video games with the Wild, Bruins, St. Louis Blues, New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Anaheim Geese.
Stanley Cup Pedigree
The St. Louis, Mo. native has the excellence of being the one NHL participant within the twenty first century to have received three consecutive Stanley Cup championships, successful with the Blues in 2019 and the Lightning in each 2020 and 2021. He additionally appeared within the Stanley Cup Closing with Tampa in 2022, making him the primary participant since those that had been members of the New York Islanders within the early ’80s to look in 4 consecutive Finals.
You is likely to be questioning, “Hey, random hockey author on the web, how huge of a contribution did Maroon have on these Cup-winning squads?” And hey, random hockey fan studying this column on the web, that’s a good level.
Throughout these three championship runs, Maroon averaged simply 11:31 of ice time, scoring six targets and 11 assists for 17 factors in 74 Stanley Cup Playoff video games. An everyday fourth-line winger who may lay successful and be a nuisance in entrance of the opposing internet: it ain’t a lot, nevertheless it’s sincere work.
However once you signal a grizzled veteran like Maroon, somebody who will probably be wholesome scratched at random factors within the season, who would possibly by no means see greater than a dozen minutes of ice time on any given evening, you’re not anticipating the world. No, what you’re anticipating is knowledgeable who is aware of the best way to come to the rink each day, ready with a inflexible routine, who can present the youthful gamers within the lineup what it takes to be somebody who can preserve a job within the biggest league on the earth.
“He’s actually favored by his teammates within the dressing room,” Blackhawks’ head coach Luke Richardson informed reporters on July 1 after the signing was introduced. “He’s huge, robust, however he has good arms across the internet, and it’s exhausting to seek out these guys.”
Maroon’s Bodily Presence
Richardson, who will probably be getting into his third season with the membership in 2024-25, additionally mentioned a participant like Maroon is noticeable out on the ice and may carry a bodily factor to a Chicago lineup that’s been determined for that sort of participant.
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“He makes issues occur, he retains everyone sincere on the ice, too. He’s old style robust,” he mentioned.
Richardson’s subsequent remark was one thing I believe will get ignored by some followers and different media protecting the membership as we gear up for one more season.
“He simply appears to settle issues down on the market. Generally the fellows who don’t must get into fights or bodily altercations due to their fame is much more helpful, as a result of it simply settles every part down,” he mentioned. “I can simply ship him out on the ice at any time if issues are getting just a little uncontrolled … and he’s the kind of man that may change the curve of that sport.”
Look, in the event you’ve learn my tales prior to now, together with the one the place I made the case that combating will at all times be a part of the NHL, what my opinion on its place within the sport is. However as Richardson identified, it goes past two guys squaring up and throwing arms at each other. Maroon isn’t coming in to be Ryan Reaves.
After protecting the Blackhawks in the course of the 2023-24 season, on many nights it was clear that the staff wasn’t geared up to guard itself towards a few of their extra bodily opponents. This isn’t a knock towards the 6-foot-6 defenseman Jarred Tinordi, who wearing 52 video games for the staff final season, or Nick Foligno, who’s by no means been afraid to drop the gloves if want be.
However for a staff that had seven gamers beneath the age of 24 play a minimum of a couple of dozen video games, lots of them NHL rookies, they had been getting pushed round. This is applicable tenfold when certainly one of them was Connor Bedard, the Rookie of the 12 months and the subsequent generational expertise within the league.
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Having somebody like Maroon who can shield his teammates is invaluable for a franchise nonetheless discovering its footing after ending close to the basement of the NHL standings for a number of seasons. As I’ve talked about advert nauseam in earlier columns, nobody is anticipating this group to compete for a spot within the Stanley Cup Playoffs in April 2025.
This upcoming marketing campaign goes to be stuffed with irritating dropping streaks, blown leads, expensive errors and extremely expert younger skaters who Richardson decides to place within the press field for an evening or two, possibly after a couple of too many turnovers. There will probably be flashbacks of 2023-24 and the season prior.
However followers and people who comply with the staff will probably be witness to nice moments, as nicely. Bedard will proceed to take strides, as will Philipp Kurashev, Alex Vlasic, Lukas Reichel, Kevin Korchinski and I’m positive another person whom I’m forgetting, and after this story is revealed, I’ll keep in mind and suppose, “Ah crap, I forgot so-and-so, and such-and-such.”
A giant cause why these gamers will have the ability to take a step ahead is as a result of a participant like Maroon will pave the way in which for them. There aren’t many gamers like him anymore, and possibly within the subsequent few seasons, guys like him will probably be out of the sport.
However because the outdated adage goes, “Smoke ’em in the event you received ’em.” Proper now, the Blackhawks received ’em.
