Marleau could be staying with Sharks.
More and more it appears Patrick Marleau will be with the Sharks when he makes NHL history later this month.
Entering the final weekend before Monday’s trade deadline, there have been few — if any — indications that Marleau is being pursued by Stanley Cup contending teams.
Should he remain with the Sharks and be in the lineup for every game, Marleau, 41, will pass Gordie Howe and become the NHL’s all-time leader in games played April 19 when San Jose plays the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Marleau played in the 1,762nd game of his NHL career Friday when the Sharks took on the Los Angeles Kings. Gordie Howe played in 1,767 games over a 26-season NHL career, with his last regular-season game coming on April 6, 1980, a week after he turned 52.
Marleau’s name is not presently on TSN’s 45-player trade bait board, a list that includes goalie Devan Dubnyk and forward Marcus Sorensen.
Could there be a market for Marleau’s services before Monday’s noon deadline? It’s possible, but less likely than last season when he had 22 points in 66 regular-season games and chose to send him to the Cup-contending Penguins.
Although Marleau’s skating remains at an elite level, and he has played a variety of positions for the Sharks this season, there is a question as to whether he can still produce.
Going into Friday’s game with the Los Angeles Kings, Marleau has just three goals and four assists in 38 games.
Some of that has to do with his present role, as he’s mainly been used by Sharks coach Bob Boughner as a fourth-line winger or centerman, playing with less experienced and prolific players than even last season. Marleau, though, did score a goal Tuesday against Anaheim when he was part of the Sharks’ top power-play unit.
Marleau was almost exclusively used as a top-nine forward in 2019-20 after he joined the Sharks a week into the regular season and had 10 goals and 10 assists in 58 games with San Jose.
With the Sharks well out of a playoff position last February and Marleau seeking another opportunity to be in the postseason and chase the Cup, general manager Doug Wilson worked to find a match. On the day of the 2020 trade deadline, Marleau was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a conditional 2021 third-round draft pick.
Just five points back of the fourth and final playoff spot in the West Division, the Sharks (17-17-4) are still in the mix for a postseason berth this season but can hardly be considered Cup contenders. If they were to finish fourth, they would be heavy underdogs in the first round against either the Colorado Avalanche or Golden Knights.
Marleau has said last month he would have to consider a trade to another team if the opportunity arose, “but it’s something that we’ll have to think about and see if it’s the right situation.”
That’s an important point because there are teams that could use a reliable bottom-six forward.
The Carolina Hurricanes might be one.
In 2019, they wanted to keep Marleau after they acquired him, plus first and seventh-round draft picks in 2020, from Toronto in exchange for a 2020 sixthround pick. The key to the deal was Carolina absorbing Marleau’s full $6.25 million salary-cap hit for the 2019-20 season. Marleau, though, wanted to return to San Jose, and the Hurricanes bought out the final year of the contract.
Carolina, though, has ample deadline salary cap space to add a more highprofile forward if it so chooses. Still, there is a bit of familiarity there.
Other contending teams with a similar need include the Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals. Marleau has a connection with Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello, the former Leafs boss who gave him a threeyear, $18.75 million deal in 2017. But the Isles may have taken care of their forward needs by adding Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac earlier this week in a trade with the New Jersey Devils.
It appears Monday will come and go with Marleau remaining with the Sharks. For the franchise’s leader in so many categories, maybe that’s the way it should be. DIFFERENT VIBE THIS YEAR AT DEADLINE >> Boughner remembers what it was like in the days and weeks ahead of last year’s NHL trade deadline.
With the Sharks well out of the playoff picture, a buzz surrounded the team as several players were rumored to be on the go. As the deadline neared, Brenden Dillon, Marleau and Barclay Goodrow were all traded by general manager Doug Wilson to contending teams. Joe Thornton, too, wanted a chance to chase the Stanley Cup, but the right fit couldn’t be found.
This year Boughner said the atmosphere’s a bit different.
“It’s been quiet around our dressing room with any kind of trade talk,” Boughner said. “Last year we were probably at a point where we were a little more aggressive and we had some (unrestricted free agents) and some bigger name guys that might have been available.
“This year, with Doug talking about a reset and where we’re at as an organization, there hasn’t been a lot of talk about guys coming and going and who’s on the block or anything like that. It’s been pretty quiet that way.”