The San Jose Sharks have agreed to trade Patrick Marleau to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a third-round pick.

Marleau to Pens. 3rd round pick. “You can tweet it” — Dan Kingerski (@TheDanKingerski) February 24, 2020

San Jose Sharks Trade Patrick Marleau

Patrick Marleau leaves the Sharks for the second time, this time in a trade. Marleau was signed on October 8th to bring him back to the team that originally drafted him second overall in 1997. After 19 years in San Jose, he left to join the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent. That deal was eventually bought out (by the Carolina Hurricanes) in a cap crunch, leaving him free to return to the Sharks at the league minimum.

While Marleau was never the highest scorer in the league, he has been astoundingly durable throughout his career. He last missed a game in the 2010 playoffs when he had the flu. In over 1,700 regular-season NHL games, he has amassed 561 goals, 625 assists for 1,186 points. This year in 58 games he has scored 10 times with 10 assists.

The Penguins are getting an even-keeled veteran, secondary scorer, and leader – and, possibly, a rallying point. Despite Marleau reaching the playoffs in 19 separate seasons, he has yet to win the Cup. He’s looking to add to 191 career playoff games and 127 points, but most importantly he’s hoping for 16 wins.

What This Means for the Future

No disaster happens without casualties, and this year it’s San Jose’s recent history of Cup-challenging teams. A whole sea change is on its way for the Sharks, and the moving of Marleau has to be seen as a mutually-beneficial decision for a player who’s earned the chance. San Jose hasn’t had the experience of undergoing a full rebuild and the owners will be watching fan reaction closely.

He will fit into the Penguins nicely being a bottom-six player behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He knows he does not have to play much and when rested is still an effective player in the league. Marleau knows how to get it done in the playoffs and since Pittsburgh wants to win another Stanley Cup, he has a chance to live out his dream.

Main Photo:

Embed from Getty Images