St. Louis Blues Benefit From Pat Maroon Continually Waiting

The St. Louis Blues, like other teams in the NHL, are playing the waiting game with Pat Maroon. The longer the decision takes, the more it could benefit the Blues.

Stop me if you have heard this before – Pat Maroon fails to sign with the plethora of other free agents, forcing several teams to wait on his decision. That’s what happened in the summer of 2018 when Maroon ultimately signed with the St. Louis Blues and it is happening again in the summer of 2019.

The delay in the decision ended with the Blues getting a hometown discount in 2018. While Maroon will likely earn more money to start 2019, a delay in the decision this time around could end up benefiting the Blues once again.

Truth be told, nobody knows what is in Big Rig’s head right now. If anyone had a true insider’s perspective, outside of his family, it would have been reported.

There is basically nothing that stays secret for long in professional sports. So, the fact we have gone several days with no word as to Maroon’s destination for 2019-20 means it is likely that he does not know where he is going yet.

What we do know is that there simply has to be more money on the table from other teams. Several reporters, including Jeremy Rutherford and Lou Kourac have said as much, even if they do not know solid numbers from teams.

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Mostly, it boils down to pure numbers and circumstance. There is almost always a team in need of a big body that will plant themselves in front of the net and teams are usually willing to spend on that need. We are not talking outlandish dollar amounts, but it is probably going to be more than the Blues are willing or able to spend.

With that in mind, how can this situation benefit the Blues? The answer can be split in a couple different ways.

Firstly, most free agents tend to sign their deals within a day or two of free agency opening. The bigger names likely had deals done in principle already and only had to hammer out the finer details and get all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed.

If Maroon has not signed or come close enough for a real report to come out that he is close to signing, the money he thought would be there might not actually be there. If the rumored $3 million for five years was true, Maroon would be gone.  Perhaps the interest is not as high as we all believed?  If that is true, the Blues offer, which might be lower than Maroon feels he is worth, might look a lot better when the family situation is taken into account.

Another reason the delay benefits the Blues is the idea that the longer this takes, the more likely it is Maroon is simply hesitant to leave. We have already discussed why it might be better for him to leave on the high note, going out a hero in the city he was born, having helped deliver the holy grail of hockey. However, the allure of not having to be away from his son might be greater than any of us could know.

Even the most cynical of fans that hates how money drives everything in sports could understand Maroon going after the dollars if there really are more on the table from other teams. Pro athletes have a short shelf life, so even though most of us could only dream of making $1 million in one year, we do have to realize these guys have to make those numbers last the rest of their lives and sometimes a large chunk of their children’s lives.

With that in mind, it is hard not to imagine Maroon’s delay being, in part, due to a hesitance to leave. He has family here and also the knowledge this team is talented enough to make another run.

You only have so many years to make money in, but you also only have so many chances to win a Stanley Cup. No offense, but the teams rumored to be interested in Maroon are not that likely to be real contenders this coming season.

If nobody knows what Maroon is thinking, nobody can say for sure that the opportunity to win and be near his son might not outweigh extra money. This becomes especially true when nobody knows what kind of money we are talking about.

If it is a small raise, I see little reason the Blues could not accommodate. The salary cap will be tight, but if all we are talking about is a bump from $1.75 million to $2-2.25 million, then the term would be the only hangup for me and many fans.

You could even make a case for $3 million if it was a one or two-year deal. If Maroon seeks length vs. money, the Blues might be out of it. You do have to have room for some of their future players eventually and Maroon’s style of play tends to wear guys down.

Just to be clear, there is no timetable for Maroon. He could wait until the day before the regular season started if he wanted to.

The longer a player waits, whether he wants to sign with the Blues or elsewhere, the money dollars fly out the window. Teams want to know how many spots they can look to open up when training camp starts up. As much as we love the big guy, even the Blues cannot wait forever to make plans for next season’s roster.

So, the longer this decision takes, the more likely it is he stays. Most indications still point to Maroon leaving, but nobody can predict this scenario for certain.