Marleau contract bought out by Hurricanes

Patrick Marleau had the final season of his contract bought out by the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

He was entering the last of a three-year, $18.75 million contract (average annual value of $6.25 million) he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 2, 2017.
The forward, who turns 40 on Sept. 15, was acquired by the Hurricanes from the Maple Leafs on June 22 along with a conditional first-round pick and a seventh-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft for a sixth-round pick in 2020.

Before signing with Toronto, Marleau spent 19 seasons with the San Jose Sharks. He is San Jose's all-time leader in games played (1,493), goals (508) and points (1,082). He has played 788 consecutive games, including all 82 this season, when he had 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) for the Maple Leafs.
Marleau, who has moved back to California with his family,
said Monday that he would like to play in the NHL next season and beyond
.
"Last year wasn't a very good year by my standards, so I'm looking forward to proving that wrong," he said. "That kind of gets the adrenaline going. You have to prove yourself year after year. I look forward to doing that this year."
Marleau has 1,166 points (551 goals, 615 assists) in 21 NHL seasons and 127 points (72 goals, 55 assists) in 191 Stanley Cup Playoff games.