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Patrick Marleau Returns to the San Jose Sharks

By Lucas Burrell

SAN JOSE, CA - APRIL 22: Patrick Marleau #12 of the San Jose Sharks in action against the Edmonton Oilers during Game Six of the Western Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 22, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA - APRIL 22: Patrick Marleau #12 of the San Jose Sharks in action against the Edmonton Oilers during Game Six of the Western Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 22, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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The San Jose Sharks announced that they will be bringing back the veteran skater with a one year contract.

Patrick Marleau makes his return to the San Jose Sharks with Team Teal announcing his newly signed 1 year contract worth 700,000.

After a summer where it seemed like it was highly unlikely that we’d see Marleau back in the Bay Area, the Sharks changed their tune in a hurry. With the team struggling to generate offense at the beginning stages of the 2019 – 2020 campaign the front office felt the need to bring back the veteran skater to help fill out the depth.

The San Jose Sharks have had a deal with a number of roster complications at the start of the regular season. In order to remedy some of these woes Team Teal decided to bring back Patrick Marleau for his 22nd season in the NHL.

The 40-year-old forward got traded to Carolina Hurricanes from the Toronto Maple Leafs this off-season and subsequently bought out. Marleau scored 16 goals and compiled a total of 37 points during his final season in a Leafs sweater.

Marleau fell out of favor with the brass of the organization and saw his ice time dwindle over the course of the season. The Leafs fast paced youth led attack didn’t really have a need for Marleau, especially with his 6 million dollar cap hit so the move to shed his contract made sense on their end.

Nevertheless, the Sharks feel that Patrick Marleau still can contribute to this stagnant offense. His 16 goals last season might seem unimpressive for a Leafs forward but if you take into account that he recorded the second lowest shooting percentage of his career, there’s room to argue that he could potentially bounce back with a return to San Jose.

The Sharks have yet to string together any level of consistent play during the start of this regular season, especially in the offensive zone. This means a gamble on a proven goal scorer regardless of age is a risk worth taking if you’re general manager Doug Wilson.

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The addition of Patrick Marleau won’t completely fix the Sharks woes on the ice but considering how things have been so far in 2019 – 2020 taking a swing on. Team Teal won’t have to wait long to kick off their reunion tour. He is set to join the team for their 5th game of the season against the Chicago Blackhawks.

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