Top 5 Worst Toronto Maple Leafs Free Agent Signings of All Time

3. Patrick Marleau

Three year $6.25M AAV 8.3% 

After a successful 2016-17 season that saw the Leafs make the post season for the first time in four years, the Leafs entered free agency needing to supplement their budding young core.

That young core featured up and coming talents like Morgan Rielly, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Connor Brown, and Zach Hyman. They had some veteran assistance too but they needed more, ideally somebody with a track record of success in the playoffs to help mentor the young group and foster good habits. Ultimately, Leafs brass zeroed in on San Jose Sharks legend Patrick Marleau.

He did not have the Stanley Cup pedigree but there is no denying that Marleau had played his fair share of important games holding two olympic gold medals, two world championship gold medals and a silver as well.

In the NHL, he had amassed 177 career playoff games which included making the conference finals four times and one Stanley Cup finals appearance. His experience as a second overall pick could also make him relatable to the Leafs young core and looking back, he did clearly make an impression on the young guys as we have seen many vacation photos with Matthews, Marner, and the Marleau family over the years.

Although his 30-plus goal and near point-per-game days were long behind him, he was still a capable forward at 38 years old coming off a 27-goal 2016-17 campaign.

However, even at the time of signing the prevailing thought was that the contract would be good for a year or two but the final season it could be an albatross especially given Matthews, Marner, and Nylander would all be on new deals. 

These worries ultimately came true and after a respectable 27 goals and 47 points in 82 games his first year, there was a notable decline the second season. Aside from just appearing slower and in worse shape, he scored only 16 goals, the lowest total since his rookie year and only 37 points in 82 games.

In the playoffs it wasn’t much better as he went from four goals and five points in seven games to only two assists in seven games the following year. 

His decline mixed with the need for cap space, necessitated Leafs management to move on. The team paid the price as they shipped him off to the Carolina Hurricanes along with a first round pick in order to get out from under the deal. The price paid to get out from the deal mixed with the high cap hit, put this deal at number three.