5 players the San Jose Sharks could trade before the deadline

2. LW Patrick Marleau

Marleau topped 1,100 points for his career earlier this week, and he also became the fourth player in NHL history to score 10 goals in at least 22 consecutive seasons.

After two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a trade pit stop/buyout with the Carolina Hurricanes last June, Marleau returned to the Sharks on a one-year, $700,000 deal with a sure eye on making a run to a Stanley Cup.

That of course is not going to come to fruition, so the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer would surely be open to a trade and he doesn’t have any no-trade clause rights or limitations. But if only as a courtesy to him as the best player in franchise history, Wilson would surely give Marleau some input as to where he’s dealt to if it’s legitimately on the table in the coming weeks.

The return for Marleau would not be great, probably no better than a fourth or fifth-round pick. But he may fit nicely on a contender’s third or fourth line and in specialty situations, with the remaining foot speed to keep pace with playoff hockey and perhaps deliver in a clutch moment or two.