Joe Pavelski's breakup with the San Jose Sharks pains former GM Doug Wilson
Former San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson recently did an interview where he discussed his big regret in letting Joe Pavelski leave the team in 2019.
The Sharks in 2019 had just lost in the conference finals to the St. Louis Blues. They wouldn't know it at the time, but that was their most recent playoff run. That summer, the team had two very big-name UFAs, Joe Pavelski and Erik Karlsson. Ultimately, Wilson decided to re-sign Karlsson to a massive contract, which squeezed Pavelski off the team. In hindsight, Wilson called this move a mistake.
"It was a mistake."
Ex-Sharks GM Doug Wilson candidly told @sheng_peng about his regret over letting Joe Pavelski leave San Jose in 2019
Ex-Sharks GM Doug Wilson candidly told @sheng_peng about his regret over letting Joe Pavelski leave San Jose in 2019
What happened next was not expected. The Sharks fell off a cliff, going from two wins away from the Stanley Cup finals, to a bottom three team in the league. This ultimately resulted in years of basement dwelling that the team is still in today. Karlsson was eventually traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins while Pavelski was still thriving in Dallas. Many Sharks fans have aknoedged though that letting little Joe walk in free agency likely worked out best for both sides in the long run. Pavelski enjoyed a revitalization in his career, reaching the Stanley Cup final in 2020 and two western conference finals in 2023 and 2024.
This team was already on a big decline and keeping pavelski wouldn't have changed the inevitable that the sharks were heading for a rebuild. Everyone wants to point to this one decisions as bad and the same time blame Wilson for all the other extensions he handed out.
The Sharks meanwhile, added top talent at the draft including William Eklund, who has become a fan favorite already, and Macklin Celebrini, the 1st overall pick this year.
It turned out to be a win-win for both. Pavelski got a chance to win and SJ landed Eklund, Smith, and Celebrini
Pavelski played in a total of 1332 regular-season NHL games. 963 of those came with the Sharks, where he recorded 355 goals and 761 points. He played 369 games with the Stars and added another 121 goals and 307 points for a total of 476 career goals and 1068 points. He is also one of the best playoff performers of his generation, having scored 74 goals and 143 points in 201 career playoff games. Unfortunately, that was not enough for him to ever win a Stanley Cup.
Source: HockeyReference
Joe Pavelski Career Statistics
Joe Pavelski Career Statistics
| POLL | ||
AOÛT 3 | 107 ANSWERS Joe Pavelski's breakup with the San Jose Sharks pains former GM Doug Wilson Do you think the San Jose Sharks would have won a Stanley Cup if they re-signed Joe Pavelski instead of Erik Karlsson? | ||
| Yes | 23 | 21.5 % |
| No | 84 | 78.5 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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