Patrick Marleau wants to go home to San Jose. That's all the talk has been since it was reported the Toronto Maple Leafs were looking to dump the veteran winger's salary.
And yet, even after the Carolina Hurricanes traded for and subsequently bought out Marleau, making him an unrestricted free agent, a Sharks reunion reportedly is no certain thing, according to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta.
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While a Sharks-Marleau reunion could materialize in the future, San Jose has more pressing matters to worry about at the moment. With NHL free agency on the horizon, the Sharks could lose Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi and Gustav Nyquist, all of whom are unrestricted free agents.
[RELATED: Stay or go: Pavelski's FA visits cloud his Sharks future]
Marleau, 39, is coming off a season in which he recorded his lowest point total since his rookie season. While his play has fallen off a touch, Marleau still would be a good third- or fourth-line winger, and a reunion with the Sharks still is in the cards.
It just will have to wait.