BOSTON – Pat Maroon is no stranger to Bruins fans.
The rugged winger has done battle with the Black & Gold for years, including in playoff series with St. Louis (2019 Stanley Cup Final) and Tampa (2020 second round).
But now, he’ll be going to battle in Black & Gold after being acquired from Minnesota in exchange for Providence winger Luke Toporowski and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2026 ahead of Friday’s NHL trade deadline.
“Guy’s a winner, a couple different teams, won Cups,” said Charlie Coyle. “Those are guys that can only help you in your room, physical presence, he brings the veteran leadership. We add a guy who, like I said, has won multiple times. That can only help your dressing room. And I think he’s going to do that.
“He’s done it three times, right? He’s experienced losses, experienced wins, and that’s great to have, teach younger guys and teach all of us. Especially younger guys coming in and a guy who’s been around the league each year, what he’s been through, what makes winning teams, winning cultures and even things in the past that have not led to success, from his point of view.
“So, it’s always good to get another point of view from someone else and what they’ve kind of gone through and share that but 100% can help younger guys and the whole team as well. We are looking forward to having a guy like that.
Maroon, 35, is in the midst of his 13th NHL season and the Bruins will be his seventh team, in addition to Anaheim, Edmonton, New Jersey, St. Louis, Tampa, and Minnesota. He played in four consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, winning with the Blues in 2019 and the Lightning in 2020 and 2021, before losing with Tampa in 2022.
“He’s a three-time Stanley Cup Champion,” said Montgomery. “I mean…he’s a gregarious person…I just remember last year, he came in here and he wanted to start something right away. He brought emotion into the game right away, and he ended up in a fight in five seconds with [Garnet] Hathaway. He’s the kind of player that brings a little glue to a locker room and on the bench.”
Maroon has been sidelined for the past four-plus weeks due to back surgery and just started to get back on the ice in the next step of his rehabilitation.
“We don’t have a definitive timeline there,” said Bruins general manager Don Sweeney “We’ll just let that play out, get accustomed with our medical team, and let him progress. We know when he plays his best hockey, and the fact is that he’s been part of championship teams, and the pedigree that he has, and what he brings to the table…I think was important to us on and off the ice. We’re excited to bring Pat on board.”
Take a Peek
Boston also added to its back end on Friday with the acquisition of defenseman Andrew Peeke from Columbus in exchange for blue liner Jakub Zboril and a 2027 third-round pick. The 25-year-old Florida native is in his fifth NHL season, all with the Blue Jackets, and has a goal and seven assists in 23 games.
Peeke, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound right shot, played 82 and 80 games, respectively, for Columbus in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
“We feel really good that he brings a different element,” said Sweeney. “Confidence is probably the right word, systems, structure is going to be the next thing that we’re going to really hammer down in terms of getting him up to full speed in terms of how we play and the structure that we want to play with.
“And we feel comfortable that we’ll be able to do that and he’ll buy into what needs to be the player…as I referenced, two years ago, he was playing [Zach Werenski] some nights, 20 minutes. Change the coach and systems thinking some players respond, some players don’t.
“It’s incumbent upon us and our staff to make sure that we’ve made the right decision and the players fully bought in.”
Peeke, set to arrive in Boston on Friday evening, has two years remaining on his contract worth an average of $2.75 million per season.
“Andrew addresses another need for us, in depth in the right side, size, penalty killing,” said Sweeney. “In years past, we’ve gone through most of the defensemen at certain times and areas of the game that he can help booster our group and bring balance to our group…I think is important. He’s been in and out of the lineup, we’ve watched him –even the last couple of nights where he’s gone in and played 20 minutes against the Oilers [Thursday] night.
“I think it’ll be an adjustment coming into a new structure and the systems that we play. But we’re excited about going to work with him as a bigger body on the right side that I think is hard to find.
“It’s not a rental. We have that that player moving forward. He’s young, and we’ll have to make sure we continue to sharpen up his game. He’s excited.”
Spoon-Fed Signing
The Bruins also took care of some other business on Friday, inking blue liner Parker Wotherspoon to a one-year contract extension worth $800,000. The 26-year-old has impressed in his first extended NHL action, notching six assists in 32 games for Boston this season, while providing some grit and snarl on Boston’s bottom pair.
“It’s great. It’s obviously gone well for me here,” said Wotherspoon. “So, to get that done is great. I’m really excited to be here. Obviously, this organization is first class from top to bottom, management, the guys in here, are unbelievable, making me feel at home since I came here. I’m really excited.”
Wotherspoon, in his eighth pro campaign, had played just 12 career games before this year, all last season with the Islanders.
“It gets the confidence up, playing more,” said Wotherspoon, originally drafted by the Isles in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. “And then, it fits my style. We play hard defense, two-way game. I think it just fits well for me.
“I spent a lot of time in the minors and when I was down there, I wanted to be ready for this opportunity. When they gave it to me, I’d take it.”
Standing Pat
Sweeney said that he was “very happy that we’ve [stood] pat there” with keeping both Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman on the roster despite a bevy of online media rumors that a trade was being explored.
“Rumors are rumors, in terms of what happens in private conversations,” he said. “You guys know me well enough it’s not coming from here in terms of what we’re trying to explore and what other teams are asking about…to rob from a real strength of our hockey club, that was something we may have to do if that made our team, ultimately, better, and we didn’t move in that direction.
“But that’s not an indictment on the two great goaltenders we have. It’s actually been a real strength of our hockey club from Day 1, and it’ll continue throughout. We feel very comfortable each and every night…that’s a luxury for us and we’re going to utilize.”
Boston’s GM added that if the Bruins decided to “weaken our hockey club” in goal, “it had to offset somewhere else” in order to make a trade.
“We didn’t find the right situation that might have done that,” said Sweeney. “I wasn’t overly aggressive about it.”
Hammer Time
Hampus Lindholm, out since Feb. 19 against Dallas, is “probable” to return on Saturday afternoon against the Penguins at TD Garden.
“It looks like he is probable,” said Montgomery. “I’m not going to say 100% just because he’s got to go through the last stages here to see how he feels later this evening and tomorrow morning.”
Lindholm said that he worked closely with the Bruins’ medical staff over the last two-plus weeks to make sure that he was taking the proper time to rehab.
“The treatment staff here is really helping out and, obviously, want to be back with the team as soon as possible,” said Lindholm. “But the mindset has always been to be smart and just kind of keep throwing the kitchen sink at it and just let it heal and come back. Also not to rush it, we are in a position where you can be smart, smart about stuff like that, especially this time of year – no reason to come back limping out there.
“And the treatment staff has been doing a great job here getting me back to action and getting a few days to build up the body and all the muscles and all that stuff, too, that you might use in a long hockey season. So, I feel good. It’s nice to be out with the guys again.
Wait, There’s More
Sweeney said that while it was “a quieter deadline” this year compared to last, he believes the Bruins are “in a very good spot” and “tracking in the right direction” as the stretch run intensifies. “You want to reward your hockey club and the staff and what they’re doing,” said Sweeney. “It just pointed to the fact that they did such a good job of getting the attention of the guys heading to this three-game stretch, and hopefully we can continue that. But that’s what you want, to reward the organization and all the efforts that these players put forth each and every day. And I’ve always come from the position of being one that you have to believe in each other and then just see what you can accomplish.”
Sweeney announced that Derek Forbort will be placed on LTIR and “more than likely” miss the remainder of the season to undergo surgery that was hampering his ability to stay in the lineup. “People should realize that Derek has been playing through two significant injuries,” said Sweeney. “One, for sure, is requiring surgery, and the other is one that quite possibly could. So real kudos, and testament to the character of Derek, and wanting to be that ultimate team player and play through some significant pain and injuries. But it got to a point where it was not feasible for him to continue to play.”
Sweeney said “we’ll continue to talk” when asked if contract negotiations with Jake DeBrusk, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, were ongoing. “Clearly value Jake because he’s a good part of our hockey club,” said Sweeney. “The game last night is a great indication of how much he can impact in a positive way. So, we like him as a player, didn’t feel comfortable trying to, as I said with other players, make a switch or make a change that we thought we’d do better without him.”
Montgomery has been pleased with the response of his team since Saturday’s 5-1 loss on Long Island, as Boston has rebounded with five of six points against Toronto and Edmonton. “It was really important, just because you want to see a response from the Islanders game,” he said. “But these are elite teams, right? Islanders team is an elite team too, in the way they’ve been playing here in past two to three weeks. But the high-powered offense, and especially a team that was right on our heels in the standings in Toronto…it was good to see the way we raised our level.”
While Boston did add two players at Friday’s deadline, Montgomery said following Friday’s practice that he’d be more than comfortable moving forward with the team as is. “I’m really happy with where our roster is,” said Montgomery. “I mean, if you would’ve told me we’d be tied for second overall after everything that transpired with our roster at the end of last year to the beginning of this year – I’m extremely happy. If we don’t make a single move, I’m going to be really happy with our roster. This is a team that has grinded its way, and a team that has overcome a lot of adversity within the season… And I think that’s going to help us so as we move towards the playoffs.”
Boston also announced the signing of forward Joey Abate to a one-year, two-way contract with an NHL cap hit of $775,000. The 25-year-old has two goals and eight assists in 40 games for the P-Bruins this season.
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