With Ryan Reeves having signed with Toronto as a free agent, Minnesota went out and got some toughness in a trade Sunday night, acquiring Pat Maroon from Tampa Bay.
The Wild sent a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Lightning in exchange for Maroon and Max Cajkovic.
The 35-year-old Maroon, a left wing, led the NHL in penalty minutes this past season with 150 while posting five goals and nine assists. He had 134 PIM in 2021-22 to go with 11 goals, 16 assists and a +20 plus/minus.
A 12-year veteran, Maroon has also played with Anaheim, Edmonton, New Jersey and St. Louis. In 729 career games he has 288 points (117 goals, 171 assists) and 930 penalty minutes.
Maroon has won three Stanley Cups -- 2019 with the Blues and 2020 and ’21 with the Lightning.
Cajkovic was a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in 2019. The 22-year-old right-handed shooting right wing is a native of Slovakia and has yet to play in the NHL. He has played mainly in the ESCH the past two seasons with a combined 22 games with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.