Patrick Marleau played 15 NHL seasons, winning seven Stanley Cups and was one of the best players in the world, the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Alex Ovechkin. But the 37-year-old winger is determined to leave an impression with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Patrick Marleau: ‘I want to be remembered as the kind of player who tried everything he could every night’ Read more
After Tuesday’s trade with the San Jose Sharks, Marleau is expected to make his debut with Toronto in Tuesday’s season opener against the Ottawa Senators. Marleau has played his first game for the Leafs at the Air Canada Centre where he spent 14 seasons with the San Jose Sharks.
Marleau has four years left on his deal and he will probably get a chance to mentor Toronto’s young forwards, say those familiar with Marleau’s career.
“He’s going to be giving guys advice on the ice. That’s what he has been doing for the last 14 years,” Jeff Finger, a former referee who has spent 13 years covering the NHL, said on the CBS Sports Radio Network. “The first thing that Toronto is getting in Marleau is a game-changer. He’s a winner, he’s been captain. They want a winning culture in the Canadian market. The players are going to follow.”
John Tavares and Auston Matthews make up the Maple Leafs top line, which will no doubt be one of the best in the league. Matthews scored 51 goals last season.
“There are still quite a few teams without stars at this position, but that (Matthews-Tavares line) is a pleasure to watch,” Finger said. “I think you’ll see them compared to an Ovechkin-Karlsson-McDavid line in some years.”