The day of Feb. 29 was a long yet somewhat silent one for the Edmonton Oilers. All was quiet, until General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced that he had a single trade pending at 3 p.m. on the trade deadline.
It was a small trade for a forward named Patrick Maroon, and at that time, “The Big Rig” wasn’t the biggest name in the league. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound left winger had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 56 games with Anaheim, and left many Oilers fans scratching their heads. Why would Chiarelli trade for Maroon, the low-scoring, big forward, when Edmonton desperately needed defense?