The Minnesota Wild returned to action on Wednesday night. However, they returned to action without one of their veteran forwards. And that veteran forward will miss an extended period. Wild forward Pat Maroon is out for the next four to six weeks, the team announced ahead of their game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Maroon underwent back surgery on Tuesday. The 35-year-old was injured on January 27 in a game against the Anaheim Ducks. He played a little over four minutes in that game while taking five shifts.

Maroon is in the midst of his first season with the Wild. He joined the team in the offseason when he was traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played 49 games before his surgery, scoring four goals and 16 points in 2023-24.

Pat Maroon injury could affect Wild's NHL Trade Deadline plans

The Wild had playoff ambitions after making the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. However, things have simply not worked out. Minnesota is five points back of the St. Louis Blues for the final playoff spot in the West. And there are four teams ahead of them on points chasing the Blues down.

As a result, the Wild could act as sellers at the NHL Trade Deadline. Maroon would have been a rather interesting trade candidate, as well. He is not the flashiest player, but he has invaluable playoff experience. The 35-year-old is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, winning twice with the Lightning and once with the Blues.

The Pat Maroon injury certainly could throw a wrench into the Wild's NHL Trade Deadline plans. It'll definitely be interesting to see how Minnesota approaches the deadline now. It's also worth watching to see if contending teams still take an interest in Maroon despite this injury.