"I wouldn't actively maybe look for it, but if it does happen or it does come, or a team wants me, that's something you have to seriously consider," Marleau said in remarks published Sunday. "Obviously, that's still my goal, to win a Stanley Cup. It would definitely be something to consider."
Marleau can become an unrestricted free agent after this season and said he'd like to continue his NHL career. The 2021 NHL Trade Deadline is April 12, and general manager Doug Wilson said March 12 that the Sharks are in a "reset," according to The Athletic. San Jose (12-14-4) is seventh in the Honda West Division, four points ahead of the last-place Anaheim Ducks and nine behind the fourth-place St. Louis Blues. The top four teams will make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which the Sharks are on track to miss for the second consecutive season.
"It's tough to swallow," Marleau said. "Coming into the season, you always have high expectations and hopes, and you want to get off to a good start and put yourself in position for the playoffs and getting into them and giving yourself a chance to win. But we haven't put ourselves in that position as of yet. Obviously, there's a business side to things, as well. But, yeah, it's obviously not where anybody wants to be."
Marleau has scored five points (one goal, four assists) in 30 games this season, his third stint with the Sharks after playing the first 19 seasons of his NHL career with them.
The Sharks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 on Monday, when Marleau played his 884th consecutive game, tying Steve Larmer for the fourth-longest streak in NHL history, and the 1,753rd of his NHL career. He is three games from tying Mark Messier for second-most in NHL history and 14 from tying Gordie Howe for first. He is projected to break Howe's record of 1,767 NHL games on April 19, when the Sharks are scheduled to visit the Vegas Golden Knights.
Sharks coach Bob Boughner said he'd like for Marleau to be with San Jose when he breaks Howe's record, but he understands that may not be the case.
"Obviously, it would be a special thing to be a part of," Boughner said Monday. "I think that business is business and Patty Marleau is going to be able to be the one to control what happens. I'm sure that if he wants to stay, he stays, and if he wants to have a chance to go somewhere else, I'm sure that opportunity will be afforded to him as well. For us, we got to support him and hopefully get to that spot where we see him break the record as a Shark; but moving forward, other than that, that's really out of our hands."
NHL.com independent correspondent Dan Greenspan contributed to this report
