Patrick Marleau was a decent signing for Toronto but they eventually dumped him to Carolina as he cost too much and that deal just produced a Stanley Cup finalist.
Toronto traded Marleau and a first-round conditional pick to the Hurricanes to dump his salary, and that pick landed Carolina a star in Seth Jarvis who is now headed to the Stanley Cup Finals. Marleau became too expensive even though he was a respected leader, and was shipped off in a deal that continues to haunt the Maple Leafs.
When Marleau was brought in back in 2017 on a three-year, $18.75-million deal and ended up playing two seasons, putting up 84 points in 164 games including a very impressive 27-goal season in his first year with the team.
Toronto traded the pick that landed Carolina Seth Jarvis just to get out from under Patrick Marleau's contract
But that $6.25-million cap hit was way too much for Toronto to be paying a 40-year old Marleau despite all of his accolades and resume and they decided that it was best to ship him off to the Hurricanes along with a conditional first-round pick and a seventh-rounder for a sixth-round pick (Axel Rindell).
It's that conditional pick though that offers so much intrigue, because the Hurricanes were able to use that pick (13th overall) and find themselves with none other than Seth Jarvis.
Jarvis, 24, has been an incredible player since coming into the league back in 2021-22. His debut season saw him score 40 points and from there it's been nothing but improvement.
You want to talk consistency? This is Jarvis' last three seasons:
2023-24: 33 goals, 34 assists, 67 points
2024-25: 32 goals, 35 assists, 67 points
2025-26: 32 goals, 34 assists, 66 points
You can't get any more consistent than that, and at only 24 he's not even close to his prime years. Already an Olympian and finding himself with a silver medal, the sky's the limit for Jarvis and he's set to fight for his first Stanley Cup.
Jarvis is a core part of a perennial contender meanwhile Toronto is watching the playoffs from home
Jarvis isn't just a regular season stud either, as he already has 51 points in 68 playoff contests including eight in 2025-26. He's as critical to their lineup as anyone, and is likely set to find himself in more Cup Finals short-term.
Meanwhile, that type of game-changer is what Toronto lacked, hence why they're sitting at home this year; and also went home early other years. Having Jarvis, who has consistently produced in the playoffs would have been instrumental in changing the tide of certain games or playoff series.
You can bet your bottom dollar Toronto would have loved to have him and seeing how he and Auston Matthews or William Nylander gelled together would have been some of the most exciting hockey around back from 2021-2023 with Sheldon Keefe running his high-tempo strategy.
Marleau was great in his short time with the team but losing out on a chance to get not just Jarvis hurts; though we'll never know what would come of Rodion Amirov after his tragic passing; he was picked only two spots behind Jarvis.
Giving the Hurricanes Marleau and a first was a necessary evil to get his deal off the books, but it cost them a potential franchise-altering offensive star in Jarvis.
Did the Maple Leafs make a mistake by trading a first round pick to dump Patrick Marleau?
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