Patrick Marleau is closing in on his 1,000 point in the National Hockey League, and against the Florida Panthers, he showed that he still has the moves.
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“It’s hard to pin down because none of the particulars are talking”. “So I can’t say who is pushing for it, but his name is out there”.
Those rumors accelerated recently, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reporting on Saturday that Marleau could be on the move, though Marleau has denied that the team asked him to waive his no trade clause. Originally drafted by the Sharks with the second overall pick in 1997, he is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer with 997 points in 1343 games.
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“Just play. Go out and play”, Marleau said when asked how he’s handled trade rumors in the past. “I can’t control what people are saying, or anything like that”. Not only does it limit their options to only three teams, but two of them – the Ducks and Sharks – reside in the Sharks’ division and it’s unlikely they would be willing to send him to two of their biggest rivals. Asked if he could imagine a situation in which he would agree to waive his no-trade clause, Marleau said, “I don’t speculate on anything like that”. So far this year, he has nine points in 13 games. The 36-year-old forward is in the second of a three-year, $20 million contract that has a no-movement clause, and did not have an agent when negotiating that deal. That leaves the Rangers, who according to Kurz, have had scouts at each of the past two Sharks’ home games.
