Earlier this week, the Wild placed winger Pat Maroon on injured reserve. We now know how long he’ll be out of the lineup as the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran underwent successful back surgery on Tuesday and is set to miss the next four to six weeks.
The 35-year-old is in his first season with Minnesota after the Wild acquired him back in July for a seventh-round pick. The change of scenery has certainly helped Maroon’s offensive game as he had 16 points in 49 games before the injury after putting up just 14 in 80 contests last season. Of course, Maroon is also known for his physicality – he led the NHL in penalty minutes in 2022-23 – and while his hit total is down considerably, he’s averaging more than a hit and penalty minute per game.
A three-time Stanley Cup winner, Maroon has 150 career NHL playoff appearances under his belt. That, coupled with a low-cost contract (Minnesota is only responsible for $800K of his $1MM contract), makes him an interesting depth addition for teams should Minnesota not get back into the playoff picture. To that end, Michael Russo of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that Maroon should start skating again in a few weeks so while he might not be completely cleared to return by the March 8th deadline, he should be far enough along in his recovery that interested teams shouldn’t be scared off by the injury.
He’s gotta bring that weight down. He can do it.
No surprise, Guerin has managed to build one of the oldest teams in the league, And then there’s all the dead cap money, But he’s competing for the Stanley Cup. Just ask him!
The Wild and Islanders have pretty much the same average age and their place in the standings is close yet you continue to tell us that your hero Lou is a salary cap genius.
Can’t use facts with Wilf. They go completely over his head!
Lamoriello is a successful and financially responsible GM, Always has been.