NHL Trade Deadline: Oilers Acquire Patrick Maroon From the Anaheim Ducks

Long after the NHL's trade deadline came and went, word has come out that the Oilers did make a deal today, acquiring Patrick Maroon from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a prospect and a pick. The Oilers have tweeted that they will be making an announcement soon, but according to Pierrle LeBrun that player is Martin Gernat and the pick is a fourth rounder selection this season.

Patrick Maroon has been traded from Anaheim to Edmonton for a prospect and mid-round pick

— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) February 29, 2016

To complete that Edm-Ana deal: Patrick Maroon to the Oilers for prospect Martin Gernat and a fourth-round pick in 2016

— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) February 29, 2016

Maroon is listed at 6'3", 230lbs. He's played just over 200 career games in the NHL including 56 this season for the Ducks, scoring four goals and adding nine assists. He's also -13 on the season. Maroon is signed through the 2017/18 season with an annual cap hit of $2M; he'll make $2M next season and $2.1M the year after. According to Mark Spector, the Ducks will be picking up the tab for a quarter of Maroon's contract.

It's easy to look at Maroon and see big player and nothing more but that's not exactly the case here. Take a look at his WOWY numbers (courtesy of stats.hockeyanalysis.com) and you'll see a player that certainly doesn't appear to be a drag on his team's possession. While you're there look at his most common linemate, you'll probably be surprised. The same is true when looking at his numbers via the handy HERO charts available from Own the Puck (seriously, help fund this page).

Headed out of town in this deal is Martin Gernat, a fifth round pick of the Oielrs in the 2011 draft. Now 22 (23 by the end of the season), Gernat has failed to progress as many hoped and has just three assists in 22 games with the Bakersfield Condors this season. A restricted free agent at the end of the season it's unlikely that the Oilers would have offered him a new contract so this deal is essentially Maroon for a fourth round pick.

Maroon has had a down year this year and $1.5M a season is a decent commitment, but still this is a deal that feels like buying low to me. It's a deal that certainly carries with it some risk - that Maroon comes nowhere close to being worth the money - but the reward is worth it in my opinion. In a lot of ways this is similar to what the Oilers did with Zack Kassian a couple months ago. Bigger, riskier deals will be made in the summer. For today this is some nice work.