Penguins acquire Patrick Marleau from Sharks
The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Patrick Marleau from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a conditional third-round draft pick in 2021.
One of the NHL’s oldest players at 40, Marleau has appeared in 58 games this season and has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists). He is signed to a one-year contract with a salary-cap hit of $700,000.
This season, Marleau has averaged 16 minutes, 21 seconds of ice time, including 1:25 on the power play.
“He brings leadership, but he’s still a good player,” general manager Jim Rutherford said. “We’ve watched him a lot. The advantage he’s got is kind of like (former Penguins forward) Matt Cullen: He can still really skate, and as you get older, that’s important for you. His desire to get that ultimate prize is going to be big for him as time is running out. He should be good for us.”
Selected No. 2 overall by the Sharks in the 1997 NHL Draft staged at the Civic Arena, Marleau has spent the vast majority of his career with that franchise but never has won the Stanley Cup championship.
In 1,715 career games, the left-handed Marleau, who also spent two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, has 1,186 career points (561 goals, 625 assists), 50th-most in NHL history. He currently has a consecutive games played streak of 846 games, fifth-most in NHL history.
Arguably the greatest player in the history of the Sharks’ franchise, Marleau helped lead the Sharks to their lone Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2016 when they were beaten by the Penguins, 4-2.
“Patrick is one of the most iconic players to ever wear the Sharks uniform,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in statement. “Although we have had a disappointing season in San Jose, he deserves every opportunity to have a chance at winning a Stanley Cup, and we’re happy to help accommodate that. We wish him the best of luck.”
Marleau is the Sharks’ career leader in games played (1,551), goals (518), points (1,102), power-play goals (161), short-handed goals (17) and game-winning goals (101).
Capable of playing center or wing, Marleau is expected to be used primarily as a winger with the Penguins.
The team announced via Twitter that Marleau will wear his typical No. 12. Forward Dominik Simon surrendered the number and will adopt No. 18.
The draft pick going to the Sharks is a third-rounder but can be upgraded to a second-rounder should the Penguins win the Stanley Cup this season.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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