Can Patrick Marleau help the Oilers?

There are 39 days left until the Edmonton Oilers open their season.

Could signing a 39-year-old Patrick Marleau help out the team with some additional much-needed depth on the wings?

The father of Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, Marleau spent the last two years with the club helping guide them as a leader.

On the ice, Marleau scored half-a-point per game, notching 43 goals and 41 assists in 164 games. The vet played 16:40 per game with the Leafs.

Despite his age, he’s been a consistent force in the NHL for some time. The last time he missed any regular-season games were in 2008-2009 playing a full-slate of games each season.

While his point totals have dropped from 57 to 37 over the last five seasons, Marleau has still scored at a very consistent clip averaging 47 points per 82 games in that time.

Marleau has been the model of a strong driver of play throughout his career consistently pushing play when on the ice. Even in his time in Toronto, when he’s seen a drop in both ice-time and his ability to drive play relative to his team, he’s been a 50 per cent Corsi player.

According to PuckIQ, Marleau spent the majority of his time playing against middle-six, or bottom-six players last season where he pushed play very successfully.

The Oilers are still looking for more scoring help whether it be in the form of from within, or from outside help with only around $2.5-million in cap space to work with and one open roster spot.

It’s getting late in the offseason for Marleau, who was bought out by the Carolina Hurricanes after the Leafs traded him there. For him to come to Edmonton, it would likely have to be for a deal around $1-million — a far cry from the deals that have seen him make upwards of $6-million.

Turning 40-years-old in September, there’s no doubt that Marleau isn’t getting younger, but it appears he still has some more game to give if utilized properly. In Edmonton, he could offer some good middle-six scoring and be a threat for the Oilers on the power-play.