The Boston Bruins have made their first move ahead of Friday's 3 p.m. ET NHL trade deadline.
Boston acquired veteran forward Pat Maroon from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a conditional 2026 sixth-round draft pick and AHL defenseman Luke Toporowski, the team announced. The Bruins also revealed that "the sixth-round conditional draft pick is only transferred if Maroon plays at least one playoff game for the Bruins during the 2023-24 playoffs."
Maroon brings much-needed size (6-foot-3, 234 pounds) and toughness to the Bruins' fourth line.
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He's one of those classic veterans teams want to add before the trade deadline, not only because of the physicality he brings to the ice, but his playoff experience as well. Maroon has won three Stanley Cup titles -- one with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 and two with the Tampa Bay Lighting in 2020 and 2021.
When will Maroon make his Bruins debut? It might be a few weeks.
"Maroon underwent back surgery in early February and just recently started skating lightly," The Athletic's Michael Russo reported Friday. "It’s believed he’ll be ready to debut for Boston near the end of this month."
The Bruins could still use another left-shot defenseman, but time is running out before the trade deadline hits.
