Report: Marleau being hotly pursued by Western Conference rival

Will the Sharks legend turn his back on the only team he’s ever known?

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Report: Marleau being hotly pursued by Western Conference rival
Keystone Press

With the contracts of both Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton expiring this Saturday, there is so much up in the air for the San Jose Sharks franchise these days. Inarguably the team’s two biggest star players are both set to leave for free-agency if a deal can’t be struck before July 1st. 

Now, one NHL insider, Dennis Bernstein, is reporting that a Sharks division rival is after Marleau in a big way:


Patrick Marleau in a Calgary Flames jersey. Close your eyes and think about that for a moment… Now, snap back to reality because it’s difficult to see how the 37 year-old forward would fit into the team’s lineup. A natural centerman, Marleau would have to compete with Sean Monahan, Mikael Backlund and Matt Stajan for ice time. Of course, the Flames also want Sam Bennett to develop into the dynamic pivot that they hoped he would be. So, unless the plan is to play Marleau on the wing, something has to give.

In any case, even at 37 years of age, Marleau still provides plenty of value and could really boost the Flames’ offensive production. In 82 games with the Sharks last season, Marleau scored 27 goals and 46 points. While this is his lowest point total in over 15 seasons, his 27 goals would have tied him with Sean Monahan for the Flames goal scoring lead in 2016-17.

What do you think Flames fans? Would Marleau be a good pick up on a short term deal?