Patrick Marleau might not want to be traded out of Toronto after all…

It has been reported for the past week that Maple Leafs veteran forward Patrick Marleau is looking to leave Toronto and head back home to California. 

Chatter got louder on Friday when a Re/Max Premier Inc listing was made public about Marleau’s home, as the forward put his house in Toronto up for sale with the asking price of $11.888 million. 

It sure made it seemed like the Maple Leafs and Marleau were set to part ways. There was even a reported trade that almost took place between the Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings in which Marleau was supposed to be sent to L.A. and play for his former San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan, who was hired by the Kings. 

However, Steve Simmonds of the Toronto Sun recently reported that Marleau’s plan to sale his house was decided long before the trade rumours surfaced. 

“It was presented as news that Marleau has his house up for sale in Toronto. That’s not really news. He made the decision to sell his house mid-season when dealing with some U.S. tax implications he was unaware of. It was his intention then to sell the house he loved and then rent it back from the new owner. Circumstances have since changed when the Leafs explained they’re going to explore ways of moving him. But the truth, Marleau was selling the house whether he stayed with the Leafs or left…”

Some pundits keep saying Marleau wants to move back to California to get closer to his family and rumours have surfaced about a possible deal with the Anaheim Ducks. 

While the Leafs would benefit from shedding salary from their cap, fans and teammates would love to see Marleau sticks around for the rest of his contract. 

The Leafs might realize they should keep Marleau on the roster, especially if they are made aware that he simply sold his house for money reasons, not because he wants out of Toronto. 

But at the same time, GM Kyle Dubas has his own money reasons, right?