The Patrick Marleau trade rumors just won’t seem to go away. After a couple months of the rumors dying down, they bubbled back to the surface with a report from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.
LeBrun noted how Marleau’s agent, Pat Brisson, continues to explore the market for his client with San Jose Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson signing off on this idea. Here’s more of what LeBrun had to say regarding the Marleau situation:
"Things should heat up closer to the Feb. 29 trade deadline, although there’s certainly no guarantee of a deal. Wilson will trade Marleau only if it’s a deal that makes sense for San Jose. Which means there’s just as good a chance that it’s an offseason move."
Despite the Sharks recent turnaround, it appears Marleau is still ready to move on from the only organization he’s ever known, and the feeling could be mutual from a San Jose perspective as well. However, as LeBrun points out, Wilson isn’t going to make a move for the sake of making a move, nor should he.
It’s clear the Sharks could use an upgrade on the blue line, and if Marleau is ever moved, I’d be shocked if it wasn’t for a quality NHL defenseman. Also, I’m more in the camp of this deal coming about during the offseason rather than at the trade deadline, but that likely depends on how the Sharks perform over the next month and whether they are still in the playoff hunt.
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The streaky Marleau has gone cold of late as he has just one goal and four assists over his past 10 games, with no points in his last four. For the season, Marleau still ranks fourth on the Sharks with 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists), but he has one of the worst plus/minuses on the team at minus-11.
Ben Smith on Waivers
In other Sharks news, Bob McKenzie of TSN was the first one to point out how Ben Smith was placed on waivers.
Ben Smith (SJ) on waivers.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 20, 2016
This move isn’t a total shock as Smith hasn’t factored into Peter DeBoer’s plans for quite some time. Smith has been riddled with injuries, appearing in only six games for San Jose this season. He missed more than 20 games this year while battling a concussion, and he’s been a healthy scratch for the past 10 games.
The Smith move likely means Dainius Zubrus, who was back at practice today, and Raffi Torres are close to making their returns, although it sounds like Torres needs more time with the Barracuda.
Next: Barracuda Report: San Jose Sees Nine-Game Point Streak Snapped
The entire Smith situation has been puzzling to witness as he hasn’t been able to find his spot within the lineup. He was a factor for the Chicago Blackhawks, but can’t find any minutes with the Sharks. That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Hopefully for Smith, if he does clear waivers, he can make an impact with the Barracuda, and hopefully this means San Jose is one step closer to replacing Mike Brown in their forward lines.