Patrick Marleau’s decision to leave the San Jose Sharks made sense for himself and the Sharks.
In signing a three-year, $18.75 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, Marleau got the term he was reportedly seeking. He left one of the league’s oldest teams last season to join one of its youngest, and play for a coach that has long admired him.
In letting Marleau go, San Jose avoided adding financial commitments to the $32.75 million the Sharks will have tied up in Brent Burns, Logan Couture, Martin Jones, Joe Pavelski, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic from 2018 onward, maintained long-term flexibility to surround that core with talent, and opened up a top nine forward spot for a young player to grow into this season.