RALEIGH, N.C. _ While not a blockbuster deal, the Carolina Hurricanes worked out a trade Saturday with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the NHL draft in Vancouver.
The Canes received a conditional first-round pick in the 2020 draft, Toronto's seventh-round selection in 2020 and veteran forward Patrick Marleau in exchange for Carolina's sixth-round selection in the 2020 NHL draft.
If Toronto's first-round selection in 2020 is a top-10 pick, the Hurricanes would receive Toronto's first-round selection in the 2021 NHL draft.
The move gives the Maple Leafs more salary-cap flexibility _ Marleau has one year left on his contract with a $6.25 million cap hit.
Marleau, 39, has played 1,657 career games, fifth in NHL history, in 21 seasons with the San Jose Sharks and the Leafs. He has 1,166 points. He played the past two seasons with the Leafs, scoring 16 goals and 21 assists in 82 games in the 2018-19 season.
It's believed the Hurricanes could buy out Marleau, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1. That would allow him to sign and retire with the Sharks, if Marleau wants.
