The Boston Bruins have decisions to make on their expiring contracts before free agency opens on July 1. Based on factors such as roster needs and players' talent, we are ranking the 10 most important free agents and predicting their future in Boston.
With just under one month remaining until free agency opens, we will be going over the top 10 free agents for the Boston Bruins.
These are all “in-house” options that they will have to decide between keeping or letting go. This is not covering potential free agent targets on other teams.
Additionally, the ranking has less to do with the talent or production of the player, but rather the importance of the decision. Obviously each player’s ability factors into that determination, but based on the make-up of the roster and the team’s most-pressing needs, a ‘better’ player may not be as big a priority as a player in another position.
You can find the rest of the list so far below:
Today we look at No. 5:
5. Pat Maroon, Forward
Age: 36
2023-24 stats: 51 GP, 4G-12A-16P (With BOS: 15 GP incl. playoffs, 0G-2A-2P)
Previous contract: 2 years, $2 million
Total Years with Bruins: <1
Once a villain for the Bruins in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals with the St. Louis Blues, Pat Maroon came to Boston at the trade deadline five years later to fill an important role both on the ice and in the locker room. The bruising winger instantly won over the hearts of Bruins fans after returning from back surgery late in the regular season, and the feeling was mutual for Maroon.
Despite winning three Stanley Cups earlier in his career, Maroon called his time in Boston “the best experience of his life” and expressed a strong desire to stay.
Maroon plays a distinct role not many in the NHL offer. His hulking size (6-3, 234 pounds) and net front ability is an asset for any team’s fourth line. Add in his playoff experience and the respect he’s earned in the locker room, and the Bruins could do much worse than bringing him back.
However at 36 and coming off a back injury, how much can Boston really expect from him? A fully healthy offseason to come back up to speed should help matters, but otherwise Bruins general manager Don Sweeney will have to weigh the risk vs. reward for Maroon.
Prediction: He re-signs
Ultimately, I’m not sure there’s much risk if he signs anything similar to his previous average annual value of $1 million, which he agreed to with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022 before he was traded to the Minnesota Wild a year later. The Bruins will likely have a handful of younger prospects and less proven veterans vying for spots on the bottom six, and Maroon can fit a particular niche there.
He also doesn’t have to play all 82 games. Whether they do a full 50/50 platoon in his position or rotate the lines around, the Bruins can play him just enough to benefit from his presence while also preserving him for a potential postseason run.
Maroon’s value on the ice is declining, but his overall value is exactly what the Bruins will want in the spring of 2025, and with cost likely not being an issue, I’d imagine the Big Rig stays in the Black & Gold next season.
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