Chicago Blackhawks Strip Captaincy Letter Off Of Veteran's Chest

With defenseman Seth Jones activated off of injured reserve by the Chicago Blackhawks, there's fallout from that.

One veteran forward who has been a leader on the team, has been stripped of his "A". Pat Maroon, whose only been in Chicago a short period of time, has only enjoyed a short-stint as leader of this Blackhawks group.

Honestly, it seems like a miscalculation, as the team itself could use new voices in the room, especially if someone like Seth Jones could be a trade piece in the future.

Maroon has been beneficial to the Blackhawks in intangible ways, as he's been a mentor for Lukas Reichel. A mentorship that has seen Reichel improve his game.

While Maroon has only scored 8 points this season(1 G, 7 A) in 31 games he's literally the "intangible" guy in the room. Sometimes you need them, and sometimes you don't.

It's a mistake because, Maroon has seen more time on the ice with winning teams, than Nick Foligno, or Seth Jones ever has.

He knows the key to winning cups, even if he didn't score the goal that finished the series.

The Blackhawks have had Maroon at a discount with a $1.3 Million AAV deal, which expires in 2025.

Is this a sign that when the time comes, they will let him walk into free-agency while shifting priorities?

Or is this, the fallout of Maroon disrespecting Interim Coach Anders Sorensen?

Either way here are some key stats from Maroon's career:

He may never been the dynamic winger he was once, but he's still a leader.