NHL free agency: Best landing spots for top 5 remaining free agents

5. Patrick Marleau – San Jose Sharks

The cap-strapped Toronto Maple Leafs had to make sacrifices this offseason, and that meant moving on from well-respected veteran Patrick Marleau. General manager Kyle Dubas was so desperate to get out of Marleau’s deal that he attached a first-round pick (plus a seventh-round choice) to the Hurricanes for taking on the contract.

The Hurricanes, of course, would buy out Marleau — and he has yet to find a new home. The 40-year-old has made it clear (via Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, subscription required), that he would like to go back to rejoin the San Jose Sharks, saying “it would be nice to come back” to where his career started.

It makes perfect sense for the Sharks to reunite for Marleau, and not for sentimental purposes. They already lost captain and locker room leader Joe Pavelski in free agency, so there’s a major leadership void that needs to be filled.

And even though he’s no longer a reliable 30-goal scorer (even 20 is unlikely at this point), Marleau remains a capable second or third-liner. He did manage 16 goals and 37 points in a reduced row last season, after all.

Bringing back Marleau on a cheap one-year pact makes sense for both parties here. The Sharks need to replace some of Pavelski’s offense. Marleau can do that, all while providing extra leadership and motivation to a team whose Cup window is closing fast.