Bruins give updated timeline for Pat Maroon’s expected debut

"It’s looking good. He’s making the right steps."

Pat Maroon could make his debut with the Bruins on Saturday. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

April 8, 2024

2 minutes to read

With just a little over a week to go until the end of the regular season, the Bruins are expecting one of their trade-deadline pickups to make his Boston debut this weekend.

Speaking to reporters following Boston’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena on Monday, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery acknowledged that the team is targeting Saturday’s road game against Pittsburgh as Pat Maroon’s first game in a black-and-gold sweater.

“It’s looking good. He’s making the right steps,” Montgomery said of Saturday standing as Maroon’s first chance to play. “As long as Friday’s practice and Saturday morning’s skate goes well, more than likely yes.”

Maroon, 35, is expected to bring some physicality and veteran mettle to a Bruins team that has won five out of its last six games.

Acquired from the Wild last month in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick and prospect Luke Toporowski, Maroon has not played since Jan. 27 — spending the last two-plus months on the shelf while recovering from back surgery.

Maroon began skating with the Bruins in late March and has taken part in Boston’s practices as a regular participant over the past week.

“I think that’s the end goal is to play a couple of games before the playoffs,” Maroon said last week of his expected recovery timeline. “They’ve been really good with me. I can’t thank the staff enough here. They’ve been really patient with me, doing all the right things to make sure I’m 100 percent and back to where I finished off. So, they’ve been really good.

“They have a plan for me, and we’re just going to continue sticking with that and progress each day.”

A three-time Stanley Cup champion, Maroon is still a feared presence on the ice thanks to his imposing 6-foot-3, 234-pound frame — with the St. Louis native logging 344 total penalty minutes over the last three seasons.

His ability to serve as a physical deterrent could come in handy against a few bruising opponents like the Panthers and Lightning. But Maroon could also add some scoring punch to Boston’s bottom-six grouping — posting 16 points over 49 games in Minnesota before his back injury.

With Justin Brazeau still week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Maroon stands as a logical replacement for Boston on the fourth line, although he could also warrant a look alongside third-line options such as Trent Frederic as well.