Pat Maroon participated in his first full practice with the Boston Bruins Monday at Warrior Ice Arena.
Pat Maroon participated in his first full practice with the Boston Bruins Monday at Warrior Ice Arena.
If it were up to Pat Maroon, he would be in the Boston Bruins’ lineup as early as next week.
The veteran bruiser forward – who was acquired by the B’s at the trade deadline – participated in his first full practice with the team Monday morning. Maroon is working towards returning to game action after undergoing back surgery in early February.
“It felt good. Kind of been lonely by myself, skating by myself,” Maroon said Monday at Warrior Ice Arena. “Next week sometime, that would be my guess. There’s no target date, but get through this week of practices…The staff has a plan for me, and we’re just going to stick with it.”
Despite Maroon’s eagerness to get back, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said the 35-year-old is still week to week, and the earliest he could make his Black-and-Gold debut would be April 13 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Maroon said he would like to get a few regular season games with his new team under his belt instead of getting thrown into the mix for the first time in the playoffs. His postseason experience, though, will make him effective either way.
Maroon has skated in 150 playoff games and is a three-time Stanley Cup Champion – all of which he won in consecutive years from 2019-2021.
“Guys that are veteran players that have played a lot of playoff games, that know how to win, you would like them to have [regular season] games, but it’s not necessary,” Montgomery said Monday of Maroon.
“They know what it takes to win. They know their role, they relish their role and understand how to manage games. It’s a big reason why we brought him up here.”
The Bruins will likely utilize Maroon in a bottom-six role, but he got some rushes on the second line with Danton Heinen and Pavel Zacha during Monday’s practice. David Pastrnak was out for maintenance, so Maroon was a probable place-holder.
Boston’s Game 1 lineup is not set in stone yet. Players are still battling for position, and guys like Johnny Beecher and Justin Brazeau must be aware of Maroon’s looming return.
Brazeau got promoted to the third line with Jake DeBrusk and Morgan Geekie for Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals, and has seven points (five goals, two assist) since his call-up in February. Beecher has been steady on the fourth-line wing and scored in Saturday’s 3-2 win.
Maroon doesn’t quite care where he’s slotted – he just wants to play hockey for the Bruins.
“I can’t wait. Especially watching the Florida and Tampa games – it makes you just want to go out there and battle with the boys,” Maroon said. "That’s the biggest thing I see…Playing simple, playing hard, because we have all the skill in the world. Just have to be smart and disciplined.”
It’s unclear if Maroon will travel with the team this week as he gets back into a regular practice schedule. Montgomery said it will be discussed with general manager Don Sweeney and the medical staff.
“I’m close,” Maroon said. “You know it’s a good sign when you’re practicing with the team.”
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