With an influx of forwards signed yesterday, the Tampa Bay Lightning cleared out the roster logjam and freed up some cap space by trading Pat Maroon and Max Cajkovic to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick. The Bolts will also retain 20% of Maroon’s salary.
The Big Rig was signed in the summer of 2019 as general manager Julien BriseBois was looking to revamp the bottom-six following the Lightning’s first round elimination in the previous year’s playoffs. Maroon, fresh off of a Stanley Cup victory with the St. Louis Blues, proved to be the perfect fit for the clubhouse and on the ice. He helped the Lightning to back-to-back Cups, running his personal streak to three, and at one point had won 15 consecutive playoff series.
In all, he played in 280 games with the Bolts, scoring 29 goals and adding 53 assists. In 2021-22 he, along with Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Corey Perry, formed the School Bus Line, one of the best fourth lines in hockey. Last season was a bit of a struggle as he scored 5 goals in 80 games and saw his ice time drop to 10:21, the lowest total since 2012-13.
With the Lightning picking up 20% of his salary, the move clears about $800,000 in cap for this season, giving Mr. BriseBois a little more flexibility as he puts the final touches on the roster for next season. Tanner Jeannot will slip into Maroon’s role as a physical bottom-six forward that moves between the third and fourth lines.
Max Cajkovic, 22, was a third-round pick for the Bolts in 2019. A strong skater with a good shot, he struggled to earn playing time in Syracuse as he split 2021-22 between the Crunch and the Solar Bears. Last season he played 41 games in Orlando, scoring 10 goals with 17 assists.
Fare thee well, Big Rig (and your white hat)
“I’m the Big Rig, I’m back-t0-back!”
