A career Shark has a new home in Toronto.
Canada Day weekend has been a busy one for the National Hockey League as the free agency period is underway. The highlight of the weekend for the Toronto Maple Leafs was the signing of long-time San Jose Shark Patrick Marleau.
Marleau has played in the NHL for 19 years, all for the Sharks, which drafted him in 1997 from the WHL Seattle Thunderbirds. Over the course of his career with San Jose, Marleau scored 508 goals for 1,082 points, both franchise records. He also won a gold medal with Team Canada in the 2003 World Championships and Olympic gold medals for Canada for 2010 in Vancouver and 2014 in Sochi.
Multiple reports indicate that Marleau has agreed to a three-year contract with the Leafs, worth about $6.25 million per year.
Marleau's signing highlights the opening of free agency for Toronto, with the Leafs making two signings on Saturday. The Leafs signed defenceman Ron Hainsey from the Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins, with a two-year, $6 million deal. They also signed centre Dominic Moore from the Boston Bruins, to a one-year, $1 million contract.