Patrick Marleau is still without a team, and despite that remains owner of an impressive streak.
The veteran forward went unsigned over the summer after being traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Carolina Hurricanes in June and then was bought out by the “Bunch of Jerks.” You might think that his current unemployment status and the start of the 2019-20 season would affect his consecutive games played streak, but it actually does not.
According to the NHL, because Marleau is not rostered on a team with with Opening Night here, his streak continues. Once he signs with another team — if that happens — then the clock begins until he plays or sits out for whatever reason. “Consecutive games played streaks are based on team games, and if and until he is on a roster, he does not miss any team games,” says the league.
Marleau has the sixth-longest consecutive games streak in NHL history at 788 — a streak that began on April 9, 2009. Doug Jarvis holds the record at 964 straight games, while Keith Yandle is currently the active leader at 797. (Phil Kessel is not far behind at 774.)
Where might the 40-year-old land? Not San Jose at the moment, according to GM Doug Wilson. He could just take a few months off and wait for an opportunity to arise somewhere around the league. Injuries and changing fortunes always provide chances for players every year. We’ll see with Marleau.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.