Marleau would 'seriously consider' trade to contender ahead of deadline

Things haven't gone as planned for Patrick Marleau during his third stint with the San Jose Sharks.

The franchise's leader in games played, goals, and points says he's open to being traded ahead of the April 12 deadline to make another run at a Stanley Cup.

"I wouldn’t actively maybe look for it, but if it does happen or it does come, or a team wants me, that’s something you have to seriously consider," Marleau said, according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic.

"Obviously, that’s still my goal, to win a Stanley Cup," he added.

Marleau returned to San Jose on a one-year, $700,000 deal this past offseason after the Sharks dealt him to the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to the 2020 trade deadline.

However, general manager Doug Wilson made it clear earlier this month that the Sharks are in a reset mode, which was disappointing for the 41-year-old Marleau to hear as he looks to capture an elusive championship.

"It’s tough to swallow," he said. “Coming into the season, you always have high expectations and hopes, and you want to get off to a good start and put yourself in position for playoffs, and getting into them and giving yourself a chance to win.

"But we haven’t put ourselves in that position as of yet. Obviously, there’s a business side to things, as well. But, yeah, it’s obviously not where anybody wants to be."

Marleau has contributed one goal and five points while averaging a career-low 13:10 of ice time through 29 games this season. The 23-year veteran is just 16 contests shy of passing the legendary Gordie Howe for the most all-time games played.