Patrick Marleau gets chance to win 1st Stanley Cup with Penguins

At 40, Patrick Marleau has a chance to win his Stanley Cup, with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The San Jose Sharks on Monday moved the veteran forward just hours before the 3 p.m. ET trade deadline for a 2021 third-round pick that becomes a second-rounder if Pittsburgh wins the title this year.

In his 20th season with San Jose and 22nd in the league, Marleau has 10 goals and 20 points in 58 games.

He has 72 goals and 127 points in 191 playoff contests.

"Patrick is a player who can play anywhere in our lineup," Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. "He's a good two-way player, provides leadership and will be a good fit with our team."

Marleau provides a needed depth forward with scoring ability as the Penguins look to make a playoff run. They started the day in second place in the Metropolitan Division, two points behind Washington.

Marleau returned to the Sharks earlier this season after spending the first 19 seasons of his career in San Jose. He still possesses the speed that made him one of the league's most consistent scorers the past two decades.

"Patrick is one of the most iconic players to ever wear the Sharks uniform," San Jose GM Doug Wilson said. "Although we have had a disappointing season in San Jose, he deserves every opportunity to have a chance at winning a Stanley Cup, and we're happy to help accommodate that. We wish him the best of luck."

He spent the previous two seasons in Toronto, recording 43 goals and 41 assists, but was traded to Carolina last off-season in a move to shed salary and then bought out by the Hurricanes when he didn't want to play there.

Marleau has been one of the most durable players with his 846 consecutive games played ranking fifth all-time. He has played 1,715 games in his career since being drafted second overall in 1997. He ranks fifth all-time in that category and trails record-holder Gordie Howe by just 52 for the most ever.

Marleau has 561 goals and 625 assists in his career to go along with 68 goals and 52 assists in 177 playoff games. With the Sharks mired in 13th place in the Western Conference, this deal gives Marleau another chance at the post-season as he seeks his first Stanley Cup championship of his career.

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Pittsburgh, currently two points behind Washington for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division, also acquired forwards Conor Sheary and Evan Rodrigues from Buffalo in exchange for forward Dominik Kahun. The move is a reunion for Sheary, who won the Cup with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017 before being moved to the Sabres due to salary cap issues.

"We feel good about our team," Rutherford said. "We have felt good about it all year. We feel better today. … Hopefully we get healthy in the next week or two, we have a whole team and see what we really got."

Following the Marleau trade, Rutherford re-assigned forwards Sam Lafferty and Anthony Angello to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.

Sabres pick up Wayne Simmonds from Devils

The Buffalo Sabres have acquired forward Wayne Simmonds from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a conditional 2021 fifth-round pick, two people familiar with the trade told The Associated Press.

The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because the trade hasn't been announced.

Simmonds will remain with the Sabres for the duration of the season despite being in the final year of his contract, one of the people told The AP.

Simmonds, 31, adds depth to Buffalo's forward ranks. The Sabres have been looking for secondary scoring behind captain and leading scorer Jack Eichel.

Simmonds signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Devils last off-season. The Devils will retain 50 per cent of Simmonds' remaining salary.

A second-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2007, Simmonds has spent most of his career with the Philadelphia Flyers (2011-19). He has 498 points (251 goals and 247 assists) in 902 career games.

Simmonds has had two 30-goal seasons, with a career-best 32 goals for Philadelphia in 2015-16. He has eight goals and 16 assists for the Devils this season.

The Sabres (29-25-8) are six points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. They have won five of their last six games.

Lehner leaving Blackhawks for Vegas

The Chicago Blackhawks sent Robin Lehner to Las Vegas for fellow goaltender and pending restricted free agent Malcolm Subban, prospect Slava Demin and a second-round pick.

An hour after the trade deadline passed, Lehner sent out a pair of tweets: one thanking Chicago and the other saying he is "really excited to join Vegas."

Lehner, who signed a one-year, $5-million US contract with Chicago in July, has a 16-10-5 record in 33 games this season (31 starts) with a 3.01 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.

The 28-year-old Swede enjoyed a career season with the New York Islanders in 2018-19, finishing as a Vezina Trophy finalist while winning the William M. Jennings Trophy and the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. Lehner owned a 25-13-5 mark with a career-best six shutouts, a 2.13 GAA and .930 save percentage.

Lehner has a 113-120-45 mark with 14 shutouts, a 2.73 GAA and .918 save percentage in 298 appearances (279 starts) with Ottawa, Buffalo, New York Islanders and Blackhawks.

Subban, 26, is 9-7-3 with a 3.18 GAA and .890 save percentage in 20 games this season. The younger brother of star New Jersey Devils defenceman P.K. Subban, Malcolm is 30-23-7 in 65 career games with a 2.97 GAA and .899 save percentage.

4-player haul for Panthers

Meanwhile, Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck, who scored a career-high 75 points two seasons ago, was traded to Carolina on Monday for forwards Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark and Eetu Luostarinen along with prospect defenceman Chase Priskie.  

Haula has 12 goals and 22 points this season, Wallmark 11 goals and 23 points and Luostarinen has appeared in eight games.

The 26-year-old Trocheck has slipped to 10 goals and 36 points in 55 contests this season but has points in three of his past four outings.

"Vincent brings elements of skill and competitiveness that fit the mold of the style we want to play," Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. "He's a right-handed centre who is excellent in the faceoff circle.

"With two years left on his contract after this one, this fills a need for our roster for this year and moving forward."

Signed through 2022 at $4.75 million a season, Trocheck appears to have slowed following a leg injury last season, but still in his prime at 26 there is potential for improved play from the Pittsburgh native in a different environment.

The 35-22-4 Hurricanes occupy the second wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 74 points, tied with Columbus, but Carolina has two games in hand.

Other trades:

• The Tampa Bay Lightning added forward Barclay Goodrow from San Jose along with a 2020 third-round draft pick previously acquired from Philadelphia for a 2020 first-round draft pick and forward Anthony Greco. Goodrow has 24 points in 62 games with the Sharks this season while Greco was playing with Syracuse of the American Hockey League.
   
• Anaheim acquired left-winger Sonny Milano from Columbus for centre Devin Shore. Milano, 23, posted five goals and 18 points in 46 games with the Blue Jackets this season while the 25-year-old Shore racked up 10 points in 39 outings for the Ducks.
   
• The Ducks also traded for Kyle Criscuolo and a fourth-round selection in 2020 from Philadelphia for fellow centre Derek Grant. The 27-year-old Criscuolo, who has played nine NHL games with Buffalo, has 119 points in 214 American Hockey League regular-season games. Grant, 29, collected 14 goals and 20 points in 49 contests with the Ducks this season. He has played 257 NHL games with Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Nashville, Calgary and Ottawa.

• The Boston Bruins acquired Nick Ritchie from the Anaheim Ducks on Monday in exchange for fellow forward Danton Heinen. Ritchie collected eight goals, 11 assists and 78 penalty minutes in 41 games for the Ducks this season. Heinen has scored seven goals and set up 15 others in 58 games for the Bruins this season.

• Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford, after trading for Jason Zucker last week, added forwards Evan Rodrigues and former Penguin Connor Sheary — a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Pittsburgh — in a deal with Buffalo, which received centre Dominik Kahun. Sheary's and Rodrigues' contracts expire at the end of this season at an average annual value of $3 million and $2 million.