In a move that seemed destined to happen all summer, the San Jose Sharks announced on Tuesday evening that they are bringing back Patrick Marleau.
It will be a one-year contract that will pay Marleau the league minimum of $700,000 according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.
Marleau, 40, is the franchise’s all-time leader in games played, goals, and total points after spending the first 19 years of his career with the organization. He left to join the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency prior to the 2017-18 season and spent two years with the team before he was traded to Carolina this summer and promptly bought out of the final year of his contract. When he became a free agent speculation immediately started that he could return to the Sharks and once again join forces with Joe Thornton to take another run at a Stanley Cup.
The deal never happened in the summer and as recently as September it seemed that the door had closed on a potential reunion. But with the Sharks now off to a disappointing 0-3-0 start to the season, general manager Doug Wilson decided to bring Marleau back into the mix.
Hear from @SanJoseSharks General Manager Doug Wilson on the signing of Patrick Marleau. pic.twitter.com/1vNoyIk4PL
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) October 8, 2019
Along with the addition of Marleau, the Sharks will also be getting forward Evander Kane back from his three-game suspension on Tuesday night when they play the Nashville Predators.
Marleau appeared in all 82 games for the Maple Leafs a year ago, scoring 16 goals and 37 total points.
He has not missed a game since the 2008-09 season and currently has a 788 consecutive games played streak that is currently the longest active streak in the NHL and the sixth-longest of all-time. His UFA status this summer and into the start of this season has not ended that streak.
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.