Boughner: Marleau likely to ‘control what happens’ at deadline
Whether Patrick Marleau remains with the Sharks past the NHL trade deadline and breaks Gordie Howe’s career record for most games played in a San Jose uniform will likely be up to him, coach Bob Boughner said.
Marleau has played 1,752 career NHL games and if he remains with the Sharks and in the lineup for every game, he will break Howe’s record of 1,767 games on
April 19, when the team is in Las Vegas to play the Golden Knights.
Marleau reiterated last week that his biggest goal is to win the Stanley Cup, something that most likely will not happen this season with the Sharks, who entered Monday 11 points back of the St. Louis Blues for the fourth and final playoff spot in the West Division. The Sharks have 27
games remaining.
The NHL trade deadline is three weeks away, April 12.
“I’d love to see that. Obviously, it’d be a special thing to be a part of,” Boughner said Monday of seeing Marleau break Howe’s record. “Business is business and I think that Patty Marleau is going to be able to be the one to control what happens. I’m sure that if he wants to stay, I’m sure he stays, and if he wants to have a chance to go somewhere else, I’m sure that that opportunity will be afforded to him as well.
“For us, we’ve got to support him and hopefully get to that spot where we see him break the record as a Shark. But moving forward, other than that, that’s really out of our heads.”
Marleau, in his 23rd NHL season, is the team’s alltime leader in several categories, including games played (1,580), goals (519), and points (1,107). While he would like to break Howe’s record with the Sharks, chasing his first Cup remains his No. 1 goal.
“I wouldn’t actively maybe look for (a trade), but if it does happen or it does come, or a team wants me, that’s something you have to seriously consider,” Marleau said to The Athletic in remarks published Sunday. “Obviously, that’s still my goal, to win a Stanley Cup. It would definitely be something to consider.”
How much interest there might be league-wide this season in Marleau, 41, is unknown.
Last season with the Sharks out of the playoff picture, Marleau, wanting another chance to compete for the Cup, worked with general manager Doug Wilson to try and find a place for him to play. On the day of the trade deadline, Feb. 24, 2020, Marleau was dealt to Pittsburgh for a conditional third-round draft choice.
The Penguins’ postseason stay was short, though, as they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in four games in the best-of-5 playoff qualification round.
When Wilson signed Marleau to a one-year contract in October, he mentioned how special it would be to have “Mr. Shark” break Howe’s record in a teal uniform. Marleau entered this season with 1,723 games, just 45 shy of the record.
“He’s one of the most iconic players, not only in Sharks history, but the NHL’s history,” Wilson said in October. “If he’s going to set that record, which is an incredible, incredible record, it should be in a Sharks jersey.”
Marleau entered Monday with five points in 29 games, although he has spent the majority of the season on the fourth line and has averaged just more than 13 minutes of ice time per game.
Marleau will start Monday’s game at SAP Center against the Los Angeles Kings on the Sharks’ second line with Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier, giving him an opportunity to demonstrate that he can still play a large role for an NHL team.
It will be Marleau’s 884th consecutive game, tying him with former forward Steve Larmer for the fourth-longest streak in NHL history. Only Doug Jarvis (964), Garry Unger (914) and Keith Yandle (897) have played more consecutive games. Yandle’s streak remains active.
Asked if he and Marleau have talked about Marleau playing a larger role, Boughner said, “We’ve talked about it and I tell him the same thing I’m telling you guys, that his play has to speak for itself when he does get that opportunity.
“His versatility has allowed me to move him up and down the lineup at times and unfortunately, maybe for him, we needed a center many nights and he’s one of the guys that can do that.”