Veteran forward Patrick Marleau will suit up for San Jose Sharks once again. The team announced on Tuesday that they have signed Marleau to a one-year deal, worth league minimum ($700,000).
Marleau returns to the Sharks after the team traded the 41-year-old to Pittsburgh Pirates in February so he could have a chance to win a Stanley Cup title.
By returning to the Sharks, Marleau will now get a chance to break Gordie Howe’s record of most games played in NHL. Howe is at the top with 1,767 regulars season games while Marleau has 1,723.
Marleau already holds numerous Sharks’ franchise records, including being an all-time leader in goals, points, and consecutive games played.
“Patrick is one of the most iconic players in San Jose Sharks history, as well as being one of the most respected veterans in the National Hockey League,” said general manager Doug Wilson following Marleau’s return. “The leadership he brings on and off the ice has been well documented over his fantastic NHL career, and his competitive fire to win is still burning strong. Patrick’s lead-by-example demeanor is inspiring and continues to resonate with our group of younger players.”
Sharks’ second overall pick in 1997, Patrick Marleau spent the first 19 years of his NHL career in San Jose. During that span, he made the All-Star team three times while serving as the team’s captain between 2003 and 2009.
In 2017, Marleau entered the free agency for the first time in his career and decided to sign with Toronto Maple Leafs. At the time, he said that he wanted to return to Canada while also believing Maple Leafs will give him a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup.
Marleau lasted two seasons in Toronto, failing to win the trophy, before being traded to Carolina Hurricanes in a salary cap-influenced move. Hurricanes bought the veteran out of his contract, allowing him to return to the Sharks at the start of the 2019/20 season.
In 1,723 NHL games he played, Marleau scored 562 goals and dished 626 assists for a total of 1,188 points.
