4:00pm: The buyout is official.
11:41am: Even though the Carolina Hurricanes hoped to convince Patrick Marleau to stick around after arriving in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the expected buyout is going to move forward. Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer reports that GM Don Waddell admitted as much today, noting that the team will have to pay a $3MM signing bonus right away and then the remaining $833,333 split over the next two seasons. Since Marleau is on a 35+ deal however, the Hurricanes will not receive any cap relief and will continue to have his $6.25MM hit on the books for this season. A buyout will make Marleau an unrestricted free agent and a return to the San Jose Sharks is possible.
Thanks to his no-movement clause, Marleau will also not require waivers for a buyout. The 39-year old forward was acquired by the Hurricanes on Saturday along with a package that included a conditional first-round pick in a straight salary dump by the Maple Leafs. Toronto desperately needed some cap room to help them re-sign their trio of restricted free agents, and Marleau seemed ready to leave the organization and return to the west coast with his family.
One of the NHL’s true iron men, Marleau has now gone ten straight seasons without missing a single game and has played in at least 74 games every year of his career (save for the lockout-shortened 2012-13 where he played in all 48). During that career he has amassed 551 goals and 1,166 points in 1,657 games, putting him among the all-time leaders in each category. Unfortunately, he is still chasing that elusive Stanley Cup and has only even made it to the Stanley Cup Final on one occasion. His hope that a move to Toronto in 2017 would give him that opportunity fizzled when the Maple Leafs were ousted two years in a row by the Boston Bruins in the first round.
As his Cup dreams dwindled in Toronto, so did his play as Marleau recorded his worst goal-scoring season since his rookie year in 1997-98. With just 16 goals and 37 points he was no longer worth the $6.25MM hit for the Maple Leafs, who are trying to find a way to surround Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Mitch Marner with enough talent to go on a deep playoff run.
Wherever he signs (if he does at all), Marleau could potentially play for the league minimum of $700K given he is already earning nearly $3.5MM for this season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Amazing how teams can throw money around like candy.
Wow, no kidding, @jrogers72! It’s somewhat mind boggling for us out in the “real world.”
Become really good at something other than being a keyboard warrior
The *really* good teams throw candy around like money… (and try to avoid the offer sheet gauntlet like it was a life-or-death video game)
Signed,
Kyle Dubas
What would happen if there was a Salary Cap in Baseball , Basketball ,Football them boys make some change, Marleau can go back to San Jose at a minimal salary of $ 1 M , 1 year deal hopefully help one of the younger boys get them a few pecos, Now Toronto can start getting rid of URF like Zaitsev, Hainsey, get some salary cap money for Marner and few others , hope Toronto keeps Kadri enjoy watching him on the ice, loses control at times , fiery, gritty, can throw in some points at times in crucial situations, and hopefully get a low salary guy til hopefully Brown want be out for long. and lets look at some of those young Defenseman in the lineup regularly , and hope Bracco can contribute in to his role in the NHL , seen em’ play for the Marlies.
We down here on the river like spending the money soon as we get it. I think most of us is that way.
Leafs have a cap issue & a Marner wanting fair term. They still have to make a move or two to make it happen (to also free up the funds to also fill out the rest of the roster). That W. Nylander contract is looking like a mistake now. If Marner wanted $10+mil the Leafs have a ways to go still in clearing out some more cap.