Patrick Maroon is officially a player for the St. Louis Blues after signing a surprising, but at the same time, a not-surprising one-year deal to play in his hometown of St. Louis. The single-season contract is reported to be worth $1.75 million.
More than a week into NHL free agency, Maroon was one of the bigger names still available on the free agent board. On Tuesday he finally came off the list signing a deal that might not make him appear to be one the more sought-after free agents but could be the feel-good story of the summer.
Originally from St. Louis, it was evident the Blues were high on the list of potential landing spots for the 30-year-old Maroon. Still, the often undervalued and definitely underpaid forward was looking to cash in on two productive NHL seasons and potentially sign a contract that would set him up for the rest of his career. With St. Louis at 15 forward contracts and cap concerns, it was believed Maroon might have ruled them out as a suitable fit. So too, with the Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers and others rumored to be interested, the consensus was Maroon would sign a lucrative and multi-year contract. With this in mind, a one-year deal for under $2 million is not what insiders believed was coming.
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But, when you consider Maroon will now get a chance to play in front of his home crowd, be closer to his son and have a chance to prove himself with the promise that St. Louis will talk contract extension on January 1, 2019, it starts to make more sense as to why Maroon would choose this direction. You can see in the below video just how much being near his son meant to Maroon.
The Blues will have a chance to shuffle their roster as the summer moves along, Maroon will be able to prove his worth before hitting the age of 31 and a motivated player on a "show-me deal" is great for the Blues. If things work out as both sides likely hope, there will still be plenty of time for Maroon to hit that home run contract before the end of next season.
The former forward for the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils had 85 points in his last 155 games and will hope to up those numbers playing alongside centers like Ryan O'Reilly, Brayden Schenn and Tyler Bozak. For the Blues, this is a great value deal and a feel-good situation where upon closer look, everyone wins.