Maple Leafs sign Marleau to 3-year deal

Patrick Marleau is a Toronto Maple Leaf.

The club signed the veteran forward to a three-year, $18.75-million contract Sunday.

His annual cap hit will be $6.25 million, and the salary is reportedly front-loaded.

Marleau: year 1) $8.5M 2) $6 mil. 3) $4.25

- Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 2, 2017

Marleau leaves the San Jose Sharks after spending nearly two decades in the Bay Area. He's the franchise's all-time leader in goals, points, and games played.

The Leafs were one of many teams initially pursuing the 37-year-old, who reportedly had an offer to return to the Sharks on a two-year deal.

Marleau has been remarkably durable throughout his career, playing every regular-season game in each of the last eight seasons and missing only 31 games in 19 seasons.

Toronto's young squad has added a wealth of experience in the last 30 hours or so, signing 36-year-old defenseman Ron Hainsey to a two-year pact Saturday.

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