San Jose Sharks sign Patrick Marleau for 6.9 million per year and keep Pavelski
Patrick Marleau has played the entirety of his 11-year National Hockey League career with the San Jose Sharks. On Thursday, the San Jose Sharks decided to extend their relationship with Marleau by signing him to a new four-year deal, which will reportedly pay $6.9 million per year. Had the Sharks not offered Marleau a new contract, he would have become a free agent on July 1.
This is a smart move by the Sharks and Marleau has earned every penny of it. Marleau is the Sharks’ all-time leader in goals, assists, and overall points, and has shown no signs of slowing down his production. Last season, Marleau’s team-high 44 goals helped San Jose finish atop the Western Conference with 113 points.
The Canadian forward has had tremendous success in international play, but states that with contract negotiations out of the way, he plans to focus entirely on winning his first Stanley Cup. Marleau gave the following mission statement to reporters:
"I'm very happy to be coming back to San Jose. I love living here, love playing here. My top priority is winning, and I feel I have the best chance of winning here in San Jose. I've been here for a while now. I'd like to see things through and win a Cup here."
The Sharks reinforced his notion by also re-signing star centre Joe Pavelski. Pavelski also agreed to a four-year deal, reportedly paying $4 million per season. His playoff production is bound to help the Sharks contend for the Cup. Last post-season, Pavelski led all Sharks with 9 goals and 17 points in 15 playoff games. The 25-year-old is also no slouch in the regular season and had 25 goals and 26 assists while playing 67 regular-season games last year.
In regards to his new deal, Pavelski said: "It's something that came pretty easy. I've seen enough players come in and you've heard them talk about how great this organization's ran. It's definitely a place where we want to be years and four years, we're pretty excited about that."
This philosophy of maintaining consistent team players could benefit the Sharks tremendously. Hockey is a sport where team morale and camaraderie are just as important to success as pure skill. By showing their commitment to Marleau and Pavelski, the Sharks have shown their commitment consistent team maintenance. A move like this increases the trust of all the players on the roster and allows to the players to focus on winning rather than worry about management.
General Manager Doug Wilson said: "History has shown that the marketplace would have been very friendly and kind to these two players. It's also rare that these type of players would be available. They both stepped it up this year. I can't say how much we truly appreciate them making this statement. This is where they want to be and they believe in where we're going.”
In regards to the signing, Wilson also stated: “To have it done prior to next week is important because we're trying to get some other things done."
The most interesting thing the Sharks have done is opt to not re-sign touted goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Nabokov has been with San Jose since the 1999-2000 season, but his star-power has made his contract fees to steep for the Sharks to be able to afford. Wilson will thus be in the market for a new No. 1 goaltender. This year’s free agency presents a few viable options, such as Chris Mason and Marty Turco, and as these signings show Wilson will most likely be striving to emulate the success teams like the Chicago Blackhawks have had with inexpensive net-minders bolstered by strong rosters.
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