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Patrick Maroon

Edmonton’s Maroon Could Be Next Chip To Be Moved

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With a few trades already in the books today, the trading scene only seems to have intensified. Now with the market established for several players, teams are working the phones even harder now. In fact, Pierre LeBrun reports that Edmonton Oilers scorer Patrick Maroon could be the next piece to go as the scribe reports that seven teams have reached out to Edmonton.

Having already moved Mark Letestu in a three-team deal earlier in the day, general manager Peter Chiarelli can focus more on Maroon. The 29-year-old winger could easily bring in a similar haul that the New York Rangers got for Rick Nash when they traded him to Boston this morning for a first-round pick, Ryan Lindgren and veterans Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey. Even better is Maroon’s contract situation, which is better than Nash’s. Nash had a cap hit of $7.5MM, but Maroon is in the final year in which he is making $1.5MM, meaning many playoff teams could easily fit that into their remaining cap space.

While he’s not duplicating the 27-goal season he put together a year ago, Maroon has 14 goals and 16 assists this year with the Oilers and at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, he is a physical winger who can put the puck in the net, a prized possession for a team looking for playoff help.

Edmonton Oilers Will Not “Blow It Up”

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Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli scheduled a press conference today where he took questions from several media members, and the overriding theme of the day was that the team would not “blow it up.”  Chiarelli is not looking to dump players for draft picks just to start the development process again, but instead make tweaks to the roster to try and get back to the level of success found in 2016-17. The team is prioritizing speed in any acquisitions they make, and admitted that they had looked at a couple “hockey deals” recently.

Chiarelli also said that there had been interest in both Patrick Maroon and Mark Letestu, though wouldn’t go into specifics on either player. He also said they’d looked into extensions with some of their pending free agents.

The Oilers have struggled through a very disappointing season, but aren’t going to push the eject button just yet on this group. Though there is work to be done, a Connor McDavid-led team could jump right to the top of the league next season with some adjustments, just as it did a year ago. Chiarelli says he’s not involved in some bigger things going on around the league, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Edmonton is one of the quietest teams at the deadline, outside of perhaps selling off a few rentals. Any big changes are more likely to happen in the summer.

Winnipeg Jets Talking To Several Teams

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The Winnipeg Jets are one of the best teams in the league this season, and just got Mark Scheifele back to add to their impressive attack. Now, they might be looking to get even better. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Jets are talking to several teams, and mentions Rick Nash, Mike Hoffman, Patrick Maroon, Mark Letestu and Ryan Hartman among those the team has looked into.

That list of players includes both rentals and those with years remaining on their contracts, meaning the Jets could be open to acquiring just about anyone available around the league. The team has plenty of cap space both this season and next, and look like legitimate contenders already.

The team also has several promising young prospects coming through the system, and could pull from that group in order to land some NHL talent right away. Players like Nash and Hoffman will come with hefty price tags, making an acquisition of their level something new for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. In his tenure with the team, they’ve never really been buyers at the deadline, with sending Andrew Ladd back to Chicago and the Tyler Myers–Evander Kane swap his biggest two in-season moves.

West Notes: Maroon, MacKinnon, Sekera

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The Oilers are expected to speak with Allain Roy, the agent for pending unrestricted free agent winger Patrick Maroon in the next 24-48 hours to discuss a contract extension, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (video link).  However, given Edmonton’s salary cap constraints, a trade is still the likelier outcome.  With that in mind, LeBrun notes that a late first-round pick is a possibility for a return but GM Peter Chiarelli would prefer a prospect that is close to making an NHL impact.  The Bruins are known to have interest in the 29-year-old and have several youngsters that are on the cusp of being ready to be recalled so they may be a team to watch for here.  Darren Dreger of TSN adds Winnipeg as a team that is interested in Maroon.

Elsewhere out West:

  • Colorado is getting closer to getting their leading scorer back. Mike Chambers of the Denver Post notes that center Nathan MacKinnon participated in an optional skate today with a non-contact jersey.  However, he has been ruled out of their game on Friday in Winnipeg as he did not make the trip with the team.  However, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar classified MacKinnon, who will miss his eighth straight game tomorrow with shoulder troubles, as questionable for Sunday’s tilt against Edmonton.
  • While the Oilers are only saying that defenseman Andrej Sekera has a facial injury after taking a puck to the face on Wednesday versus Anaheim, Postmedia’s Jim Matheson suggests that the blueliner might be dealing with a concussion as well. Edmonton has already shifted him to injured reserve.  This has been a rough season for the 31-year-old who missed the first few months after tearing his ACL back in May and he has struggled considerably when he has been in the lineup.

Bruins Interested In Patrick Maroon

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The Bruins are looking to add some help on the wing between now and the trade deadline and have shown interest in Oilers winger Patrick Maroon, reports NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty.  He notes that Boston has been scouting Edmonton for the last couple of games while Oilers VP of Hockey Operations Craig MacTavish was keeping tabs on the Bruins on Saturday night.

Nov 24, 2017; Buffalo, NY, USA; Edmonton Oilers left wing Patrick Maroon (19) against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Buffalo beats Edmonton 3 to 1. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY SportsMaroon is positioned to be one of the more sought-after rental players between now and the trade deadline.  He has shown that he can do well in a scoring role with Edmonton but before his time there, he had success in a crash-and-bang role, something the Bruins may be looking to add to the equation.

[Related: Maroon’s Trade Candidate Profile]

This season, the 29-year-old has 13 goals and 14 assists through 52 games while averaging a career-high 17:01 in ice time per game.  He’s also no stranger to the postseason having played in 42 playoff contests where he has thrived, tallying 26 points (12-14-26) in that span.

There is mutual interest between Maroon and the Oilers in terms of working out a contract extension but with Connor McDavid’s new $12.5MM deal set to kick in next season, Edmonton’s payroll flexibility may be too limited to get something done.  He will undoubtedly be looking for a considerable raise on the $2.1MM salary ($2.0MM cap hit; Anaheim is paying 25% of that this season) he is currently getting and that may be too rich for them to afford.

From Boston’s perspective, they have several quality young wingers in their system that will be pushing for NHL jobs soon so they would likely view Maroon as a pure rental and not someone that they would look to re-sign after the season.  While they don’t have a ton of cap room to work with – just shy of $3.4MM in full-season salary on trade deadline day per CapFriendly, that’s still enough to absorb Maroon’s deal and still have enough left over to try to add another piece to their roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Blues, Thornton, Lewis, Lightning

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In a mailbag column, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford writes (subscription required) that while the Blues have been linked with a number of high-profile teams such as the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers, it’s unlikely the team will make a big move for a big name forward with years on his contract like a Max Pacioretty or a Mike Hoffman despite recent rumors to the contrary.

Due to the high trade demands being made for these players, Rutherford believes that trading a top prospect for a player who has a large contract to fit into their salary cap space doesn’t make a lot of sense as the team wants to have as much flexibility when free agency arrives this summer. Instead, the scribe believes the team needs to go the rental route and acquire a player (for a much cheaper price) so the team can make their run.

The team already is without their 2018 first-round pick which they traded for Brayden Schenn, so moving a top prospect could set the team back long-term. The team should look into a player such as Rick Nash, Michael Grabner or Patrick Maroon as options as they likely won’t cost them one of their top prospects in Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas or Klim Kostin.

  • The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) writes that alarms should sound after San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton refused to say that he will definitely be back this season. That’s a surprise considering he is a player who last year played through torn MCL and ACL injuries during the playoffs. Historically, he’s been a player who goes out on the ice no matter how hurt he is, so the idea that he might not be back this season suggests the injury is worse than people think. Could he have already played his last game as a San Jose Shark?
  • Fox Sports West Patrick O’Neal tweets that Los Angeles Kings forward Trevor Lewis was sent back to Los Angeles to be re-evaluated after being injured in Friday’s game against the Florida Panthers. While indications are that the injury isn’t serious, head coach John Stevens wanted to have him evaluated after he sustained a serious crash against the boards.
  • Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith writes that the rumors of a potential Ottawa Senators-Tampa Bay Lightning deadline deal refuses to go away. He writes that there have been a number of rumors, including talk of Erik Karlsson, and points out that Ottawa’s chief scout is expected to be at the Tampa Bay game tonight.

Mark Stone, Patrick Maroon Interested In Signing Extensions

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While many players are worried about which team they’ll be suiting up for in just a few weeks, two are already thinking about inking extensions in the summer. Mark Stone and Patrick Maroon both spoke about wanting to stay in their respective cities, though they may find different outcomes as the deadline approaches.

Mark StoneFirst Stone, who told Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia that he wants to stay with the Ottawa Senators long-term and has little doubt the two sides will come to an agreement when he hits restricted free agency this summer. Stone is in the last season of his three-year, $10.5MM contract and has developed into the Senators best forward on most nights. Despite missing the last seven games due to injury, Stone leads the Senators in scoring with 44 points in 44 games and is arguably the league’s best takeaway artist.

Stone will deserve a huge raise if the Senators want to sign him long-term, as he has just a single season left before being eligible for unrestricted free agency. Turning 26 in May, he could demand a contract along the lines of some of the game’s elite wingers. Depending on how Ottawa feels about their finances as they move towards Erik Karlsson’s 2019 unrestricted free agency, Stone’s contract could come with some substantial hurdles. Bobby Ryan and Dion Phaneuf remain on the books with huge cap hits, and owner Eugene Melnyk has hinted in the past that the Senators would need to cut salary.

Then there is Maroon, who is headed towards unrestricted free agency this summer. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required), Maroon’s representatives have already touched base with the Edmonton Oilers to discuss an extension, though if things can’t be completed in the next few weeks one would have to believe a trade could be the result. Even with the Oilers’ recent surge they remain more than ten points out of a playoff spot and have to be looking towards next season and beyond.

Maroon has found his game in Edmonton and developed into an effective player, but with the Oilers heading into Connor McDavid’s eight-year $100MM contract and Leon Draisaitl already earning $8.5MM per season, they have to be very careful with how they divide the rest of their salary cap. Even though Maroon is on pace to come short of his career-high of 27 goals set last season, he should still get a raise on the $2MM cap hit he currently carries.

The fact that Maroon is relatively inexpensive this season—he would come with only a prorated $1.5MM cap hit since Anaheim is still retaining part of his salary—also increases his trade value. Edmonton could potentially use him as a rental at the deadline, only to try and re-sign him in the summer months. That’s a tricky game to play though, as things can change quickly in the NHL, especially if Maroon were to go to a team with a good chance at the Stanley Cup. There’s no telling what could change his mind and cause him to sign elsewhere after hitting the open market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Candidate: Patrick Maroon

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With the trade deadline approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.

Despite possessing star center Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers haven’t fared as well as the team would have hoped after making a deep playoff run one season ago. With the team floundering near the bottom of the Pacific Division with a 22-24-4 record and the fact the team will have to factor in the salary cap hit of McDavid, whose eight year, $100MM extension kicks in next year. the team might be starting a firesale soon. With McDavid’s $12.5MM AAV along with Leon Draisaitl’s $8.5MM deal, the team will have to keep an eye on their budget from now on and might be ready to move out some expiring contacts such as Patrick Maroon.

Contract

Maroon is in the final year of a three-year, $6MM contract he signed with the Anaheim Ducks in 2014. While he has an AAV of $2MM, the Ducks still are retaining $500K of his salary for this year.

2017-18

The 29-year-old Maroon has served well alongside of McDavid in the past, including a 27-goal season last year. He hasn’t been on McDavid’s line for parts of the season this year and his numbers have indicated that. Regardless, Maroon remains on pace to have another 20-goal season, which should generate some interest from teams in need of scoring. At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Maroon can play the role of both physical instigator and scorer which is a rare combination.

However, his streakiness as a player has definitely come into play this year. Through December and January, Maroon was held to just one goal over 15 games. However, Maroon seems to have more recently found his scoring touch as he has scored four goals in his last seven games.

Season Stats

48 GP, 13 goals, 13 assists, 13 points, +7 plus/minus, 55 PIM, 113 shots, 17:04 TOI, 55.7 CF%

Potential Suitors

There should be quite a few teams that would be willing to pay up for Maroon’s services. With his added size and the ability to put the puck in the net, he is a perfect addition to a playoff team. There are several logical teams that might be ready to make a move for him, including the Minnesota Wild. Having already played for head coach Bruce Boudreau when he coached in Anaheim, Maroon would already have familiarity with the veteran coaches’ system. The team is in need of scoring as it has struggled getting their young players to put up any consistent numbers. The St. Louis Blues who are looking for a scorer might also have interest in the St. Louis native even if he is a rental player. Teams like the Nashville Predators and the Winnipeg Jets might also be good fits.

Likelihood of Trade

While Maroon has said publically, he would like to stay with the Oilers, it’s likely he will be asking for a significant contract, which Edmonton is probably not prepared to pay. The team will be facing plenty of salary cap issues over the next few years and making a long-term investment in a 29-year-old streaky winger may not be the way to go.

Rather than lose Maroon for nothing, it should be a forgone conclusion that he will be on his way out. Most indications suggest the Oilers likely couldn’t get a first-round pick for him, but a second-round pick would be a legitimate possibility for a team that needs to retool their roster with less splashy moves.

Poll: Who Is The Most Valuable Trade Chip Available?

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The NHL trade deadline is now just over a month away. On February 26th, teams from around the league will definitively lay forth their plan for the rest of the season. Sellers, will send expiring or aging assets off to contenders while trying to build for the future while buyers will happily snatch up players and give them a taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

So, who is the most valuable asset out there?

There is obviously a lot of debate over who really is on the market, so if we’re to answer the question above we’ll have to choose from some sort of list. Luckily Frank Seravalli of TSN maintains such a list on his Trade Bait board, a ranking of the top assets based on skill and availability. Right now that list is headed by Evander Kane, as it seems nearly guaranteed that he’ll be moved to a contender before next month’s deadline. After all, the Sabres haven’t even approached him about a potential contract extension.

It also includes some players who haven’t heard there names in the news much, but seem like logical assets that might be available for the right price. Below we’ve listed the top-10 options from TSN’s board, but feel free to add an option in the comments. If you feel as though Erik Karlsson or John Tavares are truly on the market, vote for the “other” option and make sure you explain why. You can also leave a comment if you don’t think one of the players listed is actually available.

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

2018 Midseason UFA Power Rankings: 11-20

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With the halfway point of the season now behind us and the trade deadline fast approaching, it’s time to take a preliminary look at the UFA Class of 2018.  Here is the first half of our top-20 rankings, based on votes from writers Gavin Lee, Brian La Rose, Nate Brown, Zach Leach and Holger Stolzenberg. We’ll run numbers 1-10 tomorrow, and release an honorable mention group on Friday.

11. David Perron, F, Vegas Golden Knights — When Perron was scoring 20 goals as a 21-year old in St. Louis, he likely wouldn’t have believed that he’d be joining his sixth NHL team just a few days after his 30th birthday. That’s what could happen this summer if Perron isn’t re-signed by the Vegas Golden Knights, and he hits the open market as one of the most consistent forwards available. The winger has 34 points in 37 games and could realistically set a new career-high should he stay healthy down the stretch. For teams looking for secondary scoring from a do-it-all forward, Perron is the easy answer.

12. Joe Thornton, C, San Jose Sharks — Thornton ranked #3 on our midseason list last season, and ended up taking a one-year, $8MM deal to stay in San Jose. This summer could be much of the same, after he proves his seven-goal 2016-17 was just a fluke. Thornton is still one of the great setup men in the league, and has 32 points in 43 games on the year. After playing through torn knee ligaments in the playoffs, he’s shown off inexplicable health once again by suiting up for all 43 games. At 39 next year there is still time for him to bring home that elusive Stanley Cup.

13. Patric Hornqvist, F, Pittsburgh Penguins — We’ve seen the Penguins lose key players to free agency in the past, and if they can’t find the salary room to fit Hornqvist in there won’t be a shortage of teams calling his agent on July 1st. The 31-year old has never scored fewer than 21 goals in a season in which he played at least 64 games, and it doesn’t look like that streak will end this year. A weapon in front of the net on the powerplay and still capable at both ends of the rink, Hornqvist comes with the added bonus of some recent Stanley Cup experience.

14. Tyler Bozak, C, Toronto Maple Leafs — There’s a lot to like in Bozak’s profile, as an elite faceoff man with solid offensive upside, but he does come with some risk. No one would ever claim he’s a defensive specialist, and his game has slowed considerably over the past few seasons. He also will hit the open market at 32, and has seen his minutes diminished this season. Still, a 40-50 point center with plenty of powerplay experience will be an exciting prospect for a team looking to upgrade their depth down the middle.

15. Rick Nash, F, New York Rangers — Nash has certainly not lived up to his $7.8MM cap hit this season (or the last few), but there will surely be some teams convinced they can bring out some of the greatness that was once so apparent. The 427-goal man has just 11 this season, but can still skate well and kill penalties. Like fellow 33-year old Eric Staal, who has found a career renaissance after a stint in New York (albeit a much shorter one), Nash could be a sneaky bargain on the open market for a team willing to take a chance.

16. Thomas Vanek, F, Vancouver Canucks — Vanek was actually #8 on this list last season, but had to settle for a one-year deal with Vancouver after waiting until September to sign. This year, he’s done what he’s always done and continued to find a way to put up points despite obvious red flags in his game. With 32 points in 45 games and nice chemistry building with Brock Boeser, the Canucks could decide to keep him on for another few seasons as they continue their rebuild. If not, his market is about as easy to predict as the lottery numbers.

17. Patrick Maroon, F, Edmonton Oilers — After last year’s breakout playing mostly with Connor McDavid, Maroon looked like a key piece to the Oilers success going forward. Just a few months into the 2017-18 season though, and he looks like a sure-fire deadline rental with an unclear future. Save for the 27-goal output Maroon had last season, he has scored just 45 goals in 264 career games. If those point totals can creep back up in the second half, maybe someone believes he can be a real top-six option on a multi-year deal.

18. Zdeno Chara, D, Boston Bruins — He’ll be 41. He’s lost much of his mobility. He’s on pace for one of the worst offensive seasons of his career. But he’s still 6’9″ and logging more than 23 minutes a night for the Bruins. Chara isn’t the perennial Norris candidate of a decade ago, but there’s no reason why he can’t be an effective option going forward. He’s still a capable defenseman at even strength and one of the top penalty killing options in the league. With a reduced role he could be even more effective. It would be shocking to see him make it to the open market, but stranger things have happened.

19. Jack Johnson, D, Columbus Blue Jackets — The fact that Johnson wasn’t even in the top-20 of two ballots shows just how far he’s fallen in recent years. Once seen as an integral part of the Blue Jackets blueline, with the ability to quarterback a powerplay and log huge minutes, he’s now asked for a trade out of Columbus to get a bigger role somewhere else. At 31, there’s a real chance that his game may have taken a drastic negative turn and teams could stay away from giving him a long-term contract.

20. Daniel Sedin, F, Vancouver Canucks — Interestingly it’s Daniel, not Henrik Sedin that finds himself in the final spot on our rankings despite the latter having more points this season. Though his twin only missed the cut by a few spots, it’s likely Daniel’s better goal total (ten, to Henrik’s two) that makes up the difference. They won’t be going anywhere separately, but it would be a real shame to see them as part of a franchise other than Vancouver at this point in their careers. At 38 to start the 2018-19 season, it might be Canucks or bust.

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