Maroon, 30, is confident he'll play well enough to get a contract extension. Negotiations can begin Jan. 1.
"... I've been away from [Anthony] for nine years. You saw two years ago (on Dec. 19, 2016) where I kind of broke down, having not seen him for five months, that takes a toll on you sometimes as a dad and it's hard being away from your son like that. I think one of the reasons (coming back home) too is being close to him and having a full year under my belt with my son. I haven't had that. It's only been three months at a time.
"It's going to be a really cool year for him, watching him [watch] his dad playing for the St. Louis Blues. Seeing him in warmups before every game, it's going to be a really fun year, a really cool year, and it's going to be very special. He's going to remember this time."
Maroon, who watched the Blues play as a kid with father Philip and brother Phil, had an NHL career-high 43 points last season. He had 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) in 57 games with the Edmonton Oilers before being traded to the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 26. He had 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 17 games with the Devils, and one goal in five Stanley Cup Playoff games when New Jersey lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference First Round.
Maroon has 178 points (78 goals, 100 assists) in 375 games with the Anaheim Ducks, Oilers and Devils.
Maroon sustained a herniated disc in his back and underwent a surgical procedure May 2. He resumed skating in mid-July and has been cleared to train.
"I've been fully training for the last (several) weeks," Maroon said. "Everything's been going good. I'm staying the course, everything's good. I'm healthy and I'm on pace for training camp."
Maroon (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) gives the Blues a physical net-front presence they haven't had since David Backes and Troy Brouwer left as free agents following the 2015-16 season, and he can slot in on any line. That flexibility can bode well in a tough Central Division.
"I think I bring a big, physical presence they've been missing the last few years," Maroon said. "… I can be really good on the power play and I can be really good in front of the net. I have really good hands, soft hands, in front of the net. I can bring that physical presence down low, protecting pucks, sticking up for my teammates. I feel like this is a team that probably needed something like that."
Maroon said the additions of centers Ryan O'Reilly and Tyler Bozak, right wing David Perron and backup goalie Chad Johnson helped convince him to sign.
"When I saw all those moves happen I was still trying to make my decision, but that kind of made my decision a lot easier," Maroon said.
