Amidst another season near the bottom of the standings, the Chicago Blackhawks seem to be on a clear path to selling off veteran talents at this year’s Trade Deadline. Recent reports suggest that productive center Ryan Donato, previously thought to be one of the team’s top trade candidates, isn’t closed off to the idea of signing an extension with the Blackhawks. That change has pushed 36-year-old winger Pat Maroon into the spotlight on Chicago’s trade block. Multiple teams are circling the waters on the tough veteran per Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek, who adds that the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning could both be strong fits.
Maroon previously spent four seasons with the Lightning, starting in their Stanley Cup-winning season of 2019-20. He set his standard of play quickly in Tampa Bay, recording 23 points and 61 penalty minutes across 64 games in his first season. He continued the bruiser role into the shortened 2020-21 season, then ramped it up in 2021-22 by posting 27 points and 134 penalty minutes in 81 games. The Lightning returned to the Stanley Cup Finals at the end of that year and, after losing to Colorado in six games, the burly Maroon decided to add yet another layer to his enforcer role in 2022-23. He scored just 14 points that season – a career-low up to that point – but managed a career-high and league-leading 150 penalty minutes in 80 games. The performance made Maroon one of just 44 players to eclipse 150 points since 2010 – and his 14 points tied for 20th-highest among that bunch.
Maroon signed a two-year extension with Tampa Bay in February of the 2022-23 season, but the Lightning opted to send him to the Minnesota Wild for a sixth-round pick on the second day of 2023’s free agency. Maroon found a scoring skid in Minnesota with 16 points in 51 games, prompting the Wild to bank on his trade value at the 2024 Trade Deadline. They dealt him to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Luke Toporowski and a sixth-round pick. Maroon would go on to play just two regular season games and 13 playoff games in Boston, before moving to Chicago on a one-year deal this summer.
Now, the league’s 12th-oldest forward could be headed for another move. He’s recorded 13 points and 71 penalty minutes in 49 games for the Blackhawks this season – an 82-game pace of 21 points and 119 PIMs. He may be in his golden years, but Maroon eclipsed 25 goals and 40 points at his career-best eight years ago. He’s amassed three Stanley Cup rings in his 14 years and 829 games in the NHL, and eclipsed 1,000 career penalty minutes earlier this season. His tough, physical role and ability to control the net front haven’t diminished in his late-30s. Those traits could prove desirable for teams hoping for long playoff runs, though a trade likely won’t net Chicago a very lofty return.