Veteran forward Patrick Marleau is returning to the San Jose Sharks, the team announced Tuesday.

Marleau, who spent the first 19 seasons of his career in San Jose, signed a one-year, $700,000 deal, TSN's Darren Dreger reports.

The 40-year-old signed a three-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the 2017-18 season. In June 2019, he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, who bought out the final year of his contract days later.

Marleau recorded 16 goals and 37 points in 82 games for the Maple Leafs last season.

The Saskatchewan native is the Sharks' all-time leader in games played (1,493), points (1,082), and goals (508). He ranks second in assists with 574.

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The San Jose Sharks have reached out to free-agent forward Patrick Marleau's camp, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

A couple of other teams are also in the mix for Marleau's services, LeBrun added.

Marleau had one season remaining on the three-year, $18.75-million contract he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2017, but he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes this summer and was bought out shortly thereafter. The 40-year-old was hoping to rejoin the Sharks, but his agent Pat Brisson said in September that the fit between the two sides wasn't there.

At the time, the Sharks wanted to give younger players a chance to play, but it appears general manager Doug Wilson may have changed his mind. So far this season, six rookies have cracked San Jose's lineup during the team's 0-3-0 start.

Joe Thornton believes his old teammate still deserves to be in the NHL.

"(Marleau) should be playing somewhere," Thornton said, according to The Athletic's Kevin Kurz. "I expect he'll be somewhere soon. He skates with us in the summer and he's still the best skater on the ice."

Marleau had one of the NHL's most impressive ironman streaks going, as he went 10 straight seasons from 2009-10 to 2018-19 without missing a single game. But perhaps aside from his durability, Marleau's greatest asset was his speed - even in his late-30s.

However, his play tailed off in the 2018-19 season with the Leafs, as his 16 goals and 37 points were his lowest totals since his rookie campaign in 1997-98.

Marleau remains the Sharks' all-time leader in games played, goals, and points. He and Thornton formed one of the league's most prolific duos during their time together in the Bay Area, and the pair won two Olympic gold medals while skating on a line for Team Canada in 2010 and 2014.

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Just two games into his tenure with the Minnesota Wild, Mats Zuccarello has already made it abundantly clear he's his own harshest critic.

"I haven't played good at all," Zuccarello said, according to Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press. "It's just making plays. I feel like I don't see anyone out there. I don't know. I've got to be better. I've been terrible."

Zuccarello, who typically has outstanding vision, was one of the league's most underrated wingers over the past six seasons with the New York Rangers. Although he suffered an injury in his first regular-season game with the Dallas Stars after they acquired him at last season's trade deadline, he performed well in the playoffs, tallying 11 points in 13 games.

But after signing a lucrative five-year, $30-million contract with the Wild as a free agent this summer, the 32-year-old is having a hard time gelling with his new squad.

"If you're coming to a new team, you want to show them why they signed you, and you want to do everything in that first game," Zuccarello said. "It's simple plays that I normally do that right now are difficult for me. Just think positive and have confidence and make the play when it's there."

With Zuccarello on the ice at five-on-five, the Wild have been outshot 17-7, outscored 4-0, and have generated just one high-danger scoring chance while allowing seven, according to Natural Stat Trick. He's been held without a point through two games.

Zuccarello has been playing right wing on the club's top line with center Eric Staal and a rotating cast of left-wingers. After Zach Parise and Ryan Donato both got opportunities in that role, it now appears Marcus Foligno will get a shot as the Wild attempt to find the right mix. Zuccarello believes he's the common denominator.

"It's more me," he said. "It's about finding my spot and getting comfortable with myself on the ice. I think my teammates do a really good job talking to me and giving me confidence."

Minnesota is winless through its first two contests. Luckily for Zuccarello and his new team, there's plenty of time to turn the season around.

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It turns out Josh Morrissey isn't ready to go after all, as the Winnipeg Jets' top defenseman will be held out of Tuesday's contest versus the Pittsburgh Penguins for precautionary reasons, head coach Paul Maurice announced, according to The Athletic's Ken Wiebe.

Morrissey was a late scratch for Sunday's game after suffering an upper-body injury in warmups. On Monday, Morrissey was deemed good to go for the club's next game, but he apparently didn't feel well following practice, according to Mitchell Clinton of JetsTV.

The Jets will also be without blue-liner Dmitry Kulikov, who was given a personal leave from the team on Tuesday. Defensemen Sami Niku and Nelson Rogier have been recalled from the AHL's Manitoba Moose to help fill out Winnipeg's incredibly thin back end.

Puck drop will go at 7 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh.

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The New York Rangers dealt forward Vladislav Namestnikov to the Ottawa Senators, the clubs announced Monday night.

New York receives a 2021 fourth-round pick, plus defenseman Nick Ebert, with the Rangers retaining 18.75% of Namestnikov's $4-million cap hit.

Namestnikov is in the final season of a two-year, $8-million pact he inked with the Rangers on July 1, 2018.

The 26-year-old collected 11 goals and 31 points in 78 games with the Rangers last season. He spent parts of three campaigns with New York after being acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Ryan McDonagh deal in February 2018.

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It sure is nice to have hockey back. Of course, with so many games to watch, it can be hard to find the time to properly dig into each matchup to find the best spots.

Well, now you don't have to. Here, we'll delve through the midweek slate so you have time to stop at the store on your way home from work to restock the beverage fridge.

Game betting

St. Louis Blues at Toronto Maple Leafs (Monday)

This will mark the fourth game in six nights for the Maple Leafs, who are coming off an emotionally taxing shootout loss to the Canadiens on Saturday night. The Blues come into this one rested and on a six-game winning streak against Toronto. Goals could be at a premium in this one.

Winnipeg Jets at Pittsburgh Penguins (Tuesday)

The Jets are looking for their first win in Pittsburgh since moving back to Winnipeg. They've lost all nine of their games away to the Penguins - 18 straight dating back to the Atlanta Thrashers days, with their last win coming in December 2006. This will also be the fourth contest in six nights for the Jets.

Los Angeles Kings at Calgary Flames (Tuesday)

Goals might be hard to come by when the Kings and Flames square off at the Saddledome. They had a run of five unders snapped in their final meeting of last season, while eight of their last 11 encounters have finished with fewer than 5.5 goals.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs (Thursday)

The Leafs certainly have their hands full this week as their date with the defending champion Blues is followed by a visit from the Cup favorite Lightning. Tampa will be rested, having been off since Sunday and should be motivated following its loss to the Hurricanes if Steven Stamkos' recent comments are anything to go by.

Detroit Red Wings at Montreal Canadiens (Thursday)

The Canadiens have won nine straight over the Red Wings, including six by at least two goals. The Bell Centre should be loud with this being the Habs' home opener. The puck line warrants a long look here.

Vegas Golden Knights at Arizona Coyotes (Thursday)

The Coyotes are still looking for their first victory over the Golden Knights in Arizona, with Vegas winning all four of its visits to the desert.

Game props

Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets (Monday)

Goals have been plentiful in the early stages of this season, and Monday night in Columbus should be no different. Nine of the last 10 meetings between the Sabres and Blue Jackets in Ohio have gone over 1.5 first-period goals.

San Jose Sharks at Nashville Predators (Tuesday)

Nashville's forwards must light up when they see a visit from the Sharks on the calendar. The Predators have scored 23 goals in their last four home games against San Jose. They've also potted at least four goals in each of their last seven contests at SAP Center versus the Sharks. Fire up that team total over.

Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres (Wednesday)

If you bet the over in the first period each time these two teams met over the past few years, you'd have flushed a large amount of money down the toilet. Just twice in the last 11 meetings have there been more than one goal in the first frame.

Calgary Flames at Dallas Stars (Thursday)

The Flames haven't scored a first-period goal in any of their last five visits to Dallas. The Stars haven't managed many either. None of those games have seen a first-period over hit. Calgary's team total under is worth a look here as well.

Vegas Golden Knights at Arizona Coyotes (Thursday)

As mentioned above, Vegas is 4-0 in franchise history in Phoenix. What wasn't mentioned is that the Coyotes have scored a combined six goals in those games. I'll take the under on that team total, thanks.

Player props

Detroit Red Wings at Montreal Canadiens (Thursday)

Brendan Gallagher will be rolling out the red carpet for the Red Wings. He's scored 13 goals in 21 career games against Detroit for a higher goals-per-game mark than he's managed against any other franchise. You should be able to get him at close to +200 to score in this one, too.

San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks (Thursday)

Tomas Hertl scored a goal in each of his three games against the Blackhawks last season, adding three total assists for good measure. Back him to score again Thursday. Alex Debrincat is worth a flier as well after scoring a trio of goals in as many contests against the Sharks in 2018-19.

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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