Blues general manager Doug Armstrong is staying busy this summer. After last week’s trade for Ryan O’Reilly and the signings of Tyler Bozak and David Perron, Armstrong could be adding another piece.
Over the weekend, a source told The Athletic that free-agent forward Pat Maroon, a native St. Louisan, was expected to sign a contract with his hometown team, the Blues.
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The Blues had put a full-court press on Maroon recently, with Armstrong meeting him in person in St. Louis to go over his potential role and current players such as captain Alex Pietrangelo calling to encourage him to join the club. According to multiple sources, the 30-year-old had decided to stay home, where he attended Oakville High and played for the St. Louis Bandits of the North American Hockey League under Jon Cooper, now the coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
After a day with no confirmation, though, there are concerns about whether Maroon will stick to his original decision of joining the Blues. It’s believed that the delay in the two sides reaching a deal is due to increased interest from a couple of other clubs in the last 24 hours. Maroon’s new agent, Ben Hankinson, confirmed as much on Sunday, telling The Athletic that the Blues remain a “strong option,” but other teams are still in the mix. New Jersey and Arizona are among those other options.
The problem lies in available cap space: the Blues have just $5 million, while New Jersey has $23 million and Arizona has $15 million. The Blues still have to sign restricted free agent Joel Edmundson, which may cost $3-4 million, meaning the club would need to keep Maroon’s salary below $2 million, unless Armstrong is prepared to make a trade and shed cap space.
Would Maroon take a hometown discount? It seems he was ready to do so, but now may be having second thoughts. He is coming off back surgery that repaired a herniated disc, a procedure called a “microdiscectomy,” and thus may not be drawing the type of salary he was looking for on a long-term deal. Perhaps playing on a one-year deal and proving that he’s healthy could lead to that contract, and why not play that one year in St. Louis?
Even though there’s been some hesitation on Maroon’s part to sign with the Blues, there are still some people involved in the situation who think it’s better than 50-50 that he eventually joins the club.
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If the signing of the 6-foot-3, 225-pound rugged left winger does materialize, it would address a couple of concerns for the Blues. No. 1, the roster is lacking in physical, gritty players and Maroon would bring that element. No. 2, Robby Fabbri will be back after missing 18 months with two ACL, but still considered a question mark, Maroon would give the team another established NHL player on the left side.
It would also continue an overhaul of the Blues’ forwards with potentially six newcomers: O’Reilly, Bozak, Perron and Maroon, along with with prospects Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. The departed include Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, Kyle Brodziak, Scottie Upshall and Tage Thompson.
Maroon, who was drafted by Philadelphia in the sixth round in 2007, has 78 goals and 178 points in 375 games with Anaheim, Edmonton and New Jersey. He had career-high 27 goals and 42 points in 81 games with the Oilers in 2016-17, playing on a line with Connor McDavid.
Maroon played 57 games with Edmonton last year, but with his contract expiring and his return to the Oilers in question, they traded him to New Jersey. He had one goal in five postseason games with the Devils, who were eliminated by Tampa Bay in the first round.
During that series, The Athletic’s Joe Smith wrote a piece about the relationship between Maroon and Cooper, and how if the two hadn’t been brought together by former Blue Kelly Chase, neither might have gone onto a career in the NHL.
“No question he was a hidden talent,” Cooper said in the story. “An untapped talent.”
“He took a chance,” Maroon said. “And the rest is history.”
That was in 2006-07 when they were in St. Louis together. Now more than a decade later, Maroon may be returning, but to play in the NHL, not the NAHL.
(Main photo credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports)