Pat Maroon signing a discounted contract to play with the St. Louis Blues in his hometown was one of the best stories of the summer. Maroon left some considerable money on the table to ink a one-year, $1.75 million deal to play in St. Louis.
Unfortunately, things haven’t gone according to plan. Maroon’s storybook return has been lacking magic and has so far been one of many disappointments for the Blues in 2018-19. The idea was that he’d sign a smaller contract in order to prove he’s capable of a larger contract after the Blues have some money come off the books.
As of the date of this article, Maroon has two goals and seven assists for nine points in 26 games. His (-14) plus/minus is tied with Vladimir Tarasenko for the worst on the team. He did have to deal with an upper-body injury, but that may not be enough to excuse his performance this season.
Looking back, the Blues hoped that Maroon’s homecoming would resurrect his form from 2016-17 that saw him tally 27 goals in 2016-17 with the Edmonton Oilers. He was billed to be a net-front presence who would add a bit of physicality to the team’s offense. He has dished out 53 hits (third-most on the team), but that offensive touch has been mostly missing.
There is still a lot of hockey left. Maroon has time to turn his year around and make this article a moot point. Here’s hoping this homecoming has a fairy tale ending.
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