Patrick Marleau: The Source of the San Jose Sharks' Collapse

The San Jose Sharks fell apart—again.

For the fourth year in a row, the "team in teal" had an excellent regular season and expected to have a long playoff run.

But the playoff ghosts that have haunted this team in the past came back once more.

They lost their first-round series to the Anaheim Ducks four games to two in embarrassing fashion. They were shut out twice in the series, and lost the first two games of the series at home.

There are many reasons why this happened to this team. They never had to face adversity during the season.  A lot of guys were just returning from injuries, and they hadn't played very good hockey after the All-Star break.

But the real reason the Sharks collapsed in the playoffs is because of their captain—Mr. Patrick Marleau.

Marleau is not a very good leader—actually, he really isn't a leader at all. He doesn't speak up in the locker room, and he is a very "soft" player. Patrick Marleau is the type of guy who will jump over an opponent's shot instead of laying down and blocking it. He doesn't like to play a physical brand of hockey—and that is what has hurt his team the last four postseasons.

Look at the previous Stanley Cup champions and their captains. The 2006 Stanley Cup Champion Hurricanes' had—and still have—Rod Brind'Amour, who is an awesome captain. During his time in Philadelphia, the guy played in 484 straight games and was seen as one of the league's ironmen.

The 2007 Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks—had and still have—Scott Niedermayer. Scott Niedermayer is perhaps the best defenceman in the game today. The man can shut down a team by himself.

The current Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings have a man named Nick Lidstrom as their captain. Lidstrom is as good as Scott Niedermayer—and might even be a better defenceman now considering the age of the latter.

Those three players that I mentioned above are some of the best players in the National Hockey League. Patrick Marleau cannot even be compared to these three men. He has never led his team to a Stanley Cup, and only performs well when there is no pressure on him.

My advice for the San Jose Sharks is to get Marleau out of town as soon as they can. At this point he is only hurting the team by not performing when it matters.

If they do indeed trade Marleau by next season, look for the Sharks to make a serious run at the Cup next year.