BRIGHTON, Mass. -- Pat Maroon practiced with the Boston Bruins on Monday for the first time since he was acquired from the Minnesota Wild on March 8 prior to the NHL Trade Deadline.
The 35-year-old forward is week to week while recovering from back surgery Feb. 6. He was skating separately before Monday.
Maroon last played Jan. 27 for the Wild, who received forward Luke Toporowski and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Bruins. He has 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 49 games this season.
“I just think, for me, [I’ve] just got to keep going,” Maroon said. “I’ve been out for almost 12 weeks, so I think just getting your conditioning back, getting up to speed with the group, getting some line rushes, getting some touches. Because it’s a completely different game when you’re just skating by yourself.”
Boston coach Jim Montgomery said the best-case scenario for Maroon’s return would be April 13 at the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he won’t be rushed back.
The Bruins (43-17-15) are first in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of the Florida Panthers.
“When he first got here, we said week to week. We knew it was going to be a couple of weeks,” Montgomery said. “Now it really is week to week. As he hits more of the steps and milestones, it’ll become day to day.”
Maroon won his first of three Stanley Cup championships with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, when they defeated the Bruins in seven games. He won twice more with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
“Guys that are veteran players that have played a lot of playoff games, that know how to win; you would like them to have games [before the playoffs], but it’s not necessary,” Montgomery said. “They know what it takes to win. They know their role, they relish the role. They understand how to manage games, and it’s a big reason why we picked him up.”
Maroon took line rushes on the second line with forwards Pavel Zacha and Danton Heinen on Monday, but primarily because David Pastrnak (maintenance) did not practice. Montgomery does not have a specific plan for where Maroon will be utilized within the lineup yet, since the rest of the roster is still jockeying for playing time heading into the postseason.
With Boston in the latter stages of a six-game road trip (2-2-0) that continues at the Nashville Predators on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; BSSO, NESN), it’s been difficult for Maroon to fully integrate into the group and get to know his teammates, but he is trusting the plan the Bruins medical staff has laid out for him and wants to ensure he returns 100 percent healthy.
“Trust me, I’m really excited,” Maroon said. “I can’t wait. Especially watching the Florida and Tampa games (on March 26 and 27, respectively). [It] makes you just want to go out there and battle with the boys and go out there, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
