The Edmonton Oilers have traded Patrick Maroon to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a third-round draft pick and (reportedly) for prospect JD Dudek from Boston College. Losing the Big Rig was a trade that we all saw coming, and now it has finally become a reality. Goodbye, Patty, we’ll miss you.

Ever since coming over from Anaheim at the deadline in 2016, Pat Maroon almost instantly staked his claim as a fan favourite. Not only could the big man put the puck in the net, he also fought, his interviews were priceless, his contract was affordable, and he brought his adorable son all over the continent to watch him play hockey. That’s the kind of player that Edmontonians love and to see him leave is a bittersweet moment for all of us. Sure, we want to get a return for expiring assets especially when the playoffs are out of reach, but Pat Maroon was a bright spot for Edmonton from the first day he pulled on the jersey. Seeing him go sucks.

That said, Peter Chiarelli did do the smart thing by moving Maroon for a pair of assets at this point, disappointing as the return may be. Maroon, will be an unrestricted free agent come July 1st, will be turning 30-years-old in April and is likely looking to cash in on what could be his last chance at a big contract. Now, who knows what kind of deal he was looking at to stay with the Oilers but the reality of the matter is that Patty is on the back-nine of his career and those are the kind of details that the team can’t be giving out, especially with the cap crunch that will soon be slapping us in the face.

At the end of the day, I would have preferred that the Oilers found a way to keep Maroon and get rid of Lucic but those are not the cards that we’ve been dealt. Not to mention, a move like that would not likely happen with Peter Chiarelli still manning the fort. Instead, we see a guy that had chemistry with Connor McDavid moving on to a playoff push with Taylor Hall and the Devils in exchange for a 3rd round pick and a mystery prospect. It’s tough to see you go, but that’s the business we’re in and these friendships don’t ever seem to last forever.

So long, Patty. We’ve had some great times together and I’ll miss you.

At the end of the day, this was a move that we knew was coming and it was just a matter of waiting to see what the return would be. When Peter Chiarelli spoke late last week, he mentioned the want for actual hockey players that could help in some capacity now and not draft picks that they’d have to wait on for years. At first, it looked like we were only going to get the 3rd round pick for Patrick Maroon and I think everyone would have been disappointed with that. That said, Devils’ prospect JD Dudek is also reportedly attached to the deal so Chiarelli did follow through on his word of getting a warm body back on these trades. How good is JD Dudek? I have no idea. I’ve never heard his name before just not, but what I can tell you is that he’s a right-shot centre that’s playing for Boston College in the NCAA.

More to come…