Patrick Marleau wants to go home to San Jose. That's all the talk has been since it was reported the Toronto Maple Leafs were looking to dump the veteran winger's salary.
And yet, even after the Carolina Hurricanes traded for and subsequently bought Marleau out, making him an unrestricted free agent, a Sharks reunion reportedly is no certain thing, according to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta.
With Patrick Marleau being bought out by Carolina, I'm told he will weigh all of his options moving forward. As of now, it's not a foregone conclusion it's SJ or retirement.— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 27, 2019
While a Sharks-Marleau reunion could materialize in the future, San Jose has more pressing matters to worry about at the moment.
With NHL free agency on the horizon, the Sharks could lose Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi and Gustav Nyquist, all of whom are unrestricted free agents.
[RELATED: Stay or go: Pavelski's FA visits cloud his Sharks future]
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Marleau, 39, is coming off a season where he notched his lowest point total since his rookie season. While his play has fallen off a touch, Marleau still would be a good third or fourth line winger and a reunion with the Sharks still is in the cards.
It just will have to wait.
