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Should New Jersey Devils Explore Trading For Patrick Marleau?

By Sean Jackson

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 23: Patrick Marleau #12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on during the third period of Game Seven of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on April 23, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeat the Maple Leafs 5-1. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 23: Patrick Marleau #12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on during the third period of Game Seven of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on April 23, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeat the Maple Leafs 5-1. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are in trouble.  With Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen, and Andreas Johnsson all ready to cash in this summer, Toronto will need to free up some cap space.  The name that has been flying around in trade rumors for the Leafs is Patrick Marleau.

The 39-year-old winger will be making $6.25 million and is a UFA after next season.  This will be no problem for the New Jersey Devils, as they will have to start paying their stars in the 2020 offseason. Marleau is at the tail end of his impeccable career, scoring 16 goals and 21 assists in 82 games last season.

With the Devils, Marleau can serve as a solid middle six forward while providing unmatched leadership in a young locker room.  He mostly played on a line with William Nylander and Connor Brown. A veteran winger like Marleau is the perfect fit to play alongside a rookie center in Jack Hughes.  He can be eased into the NHL in a third-line role with a guy like Blake Coleman on the other wing, while Travis Zajac takes on second line center responsibilities, at least for the start of the season.

Since the Devils would be eating up the entirety of the Marleau contract, more assets would be heading New Jersey’s way in a potential deal.  Even with Marleau’s $6 million off the books, Toronto will still be in cap trouble. Jeff Skinner just got $9 million per year from the Sabres, so Leafs star Mitch Marner will likely be asking for a considerable amount more than that. 24-year-old Andreas Johnsson, fresh off of a 43 point year, and 22-year-old Kasperi Kapanen, coming off a 44 point year, are also RFAs. There is a real possibility that one of them will be included in a Marleau deal.

Either one will fit very well in New Jersey, as both are young, fast top-six forwards who won’t break the bank.  If the Devils somehow take Marleau AND Nikita Zaitsev off of Toronto’s hands, top prospects Timothy Liljegren or Jeremy Bracco are certainly on the table. But that’s a different story for a different day.

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The main issue facing a Marleau deal is the fact that he has a full no-trade clause.  Towards the end of his career and still chasing his first Stanley Cup, it is understandable why New Jersey might not be his top destination.  On top of this, his family has already moved to California.

So if I’m Ray Shero, here’s my pitch to Patrick: you’ll be 41 at the start of the 2020-21 season. There’s no guarantee that you get another contract after this one. This year can serve as a “prove it” season. If you play well, you can go sign a deal out west and try and win a Cup.  After all, Marleau will have an opportunity to play solid middle-six minutes with good young players. It’s obviously no sure thing that he will approve a trade to the Devils, but it’s definitely not the worst option for him.

It will be a busy offseason for Ray Shero & company, and a trade for Marleau along with Kapanen/Johnsson would be an excellent start.

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