Patrick Marleau's future bringing more questions than answers

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Brennen Beaudin
September 13, 2021 (2:32 PM)

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Patrick Marleau continued his string of success in the NHL last year, breaking the all-time games played record which was previously held by Gordie Howe. By the end of the 2020-21 season he had played 1,779 games, and he also continued his ironman streak to fourth all time with 899 games. The problem is what comes next for the 41-year-old.

The native of Canada remains a free agent with just a few weeks until training camp, and he has been way quieter than he typically is. The last anyone has heard from him was when there was a Q&A video with his kids where they said they wanted him to keep playing, but his wife Christina didn't seem so enthusiastic.

Marleau has played 24 seasons in the NHL, and his silence may be showing he is a lot closer to the end than people may have realized. It would be hard to imagine Marleau signing in San Jose after all of the drama surrounding the team.

It may be better for him to sign with a team that has a legitimate Stanley Cup chance. Of course, there is the chance that he just calls it quits and retires into the sunset after breaking the games played record. Heck, maybe he could join his old buddy, Jumbo Joe in Florida. Now that would be one incredible story.

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