Sharks Re-sign Luke Kunin and Justin Bailey

 The Sharks have re-signed two depth forwards, Luke Kunin and Justin Bailey, to one-year contracts ahead of the official start of free agency tomorrow. 

Kunin’s deal is worth $2.75 million. He registered 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points in 77 games last season. He served as an alternate captain and led Sharks forwards in hits with 165 in 2023-24. Kunin also earned the Sharks’ nomination for the King Clancy Award the past two seasons for his charitable work involving his LKT1D Foundation. 

As for Bailey, his contract is worth $800k at the NHL level and $375k at the AHL level. He recorded five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 59 games, along with six goals and five assists for 11 points in 16 AHL games with the Barracuda after initially joining the organization on a PTO last season. Bailey fit in well with the Sharks and set career-bests in nearly all aspects of his game, including games played, goals, assists, points, and shots. In addition, he was the Sharks’ nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy this past season, which is the NHL’s version of a comeback player of the year award. 

In all, it’s great to see Kunin and Bailey return to the Sharks for at least one more season. Hopefully both of these depth forwards can take a step forward in their performances and compete levels next season and help improve this Sharks team going forward. 

Update: In addition, ahead of the opening of free agency tomorrow, the Sharks issued qualifying offers to Egor Afanasyev, Thomas Bordeleau, Brandon Coe, Ty Dellandrea, Ty Emberson, Carl Grundstrom, and Henry Thrun. On the other hand, San Jose did not issue qualifying offers to Calen Addison, Jacob Peterson, Jack Studnicka, and Filip Zadina, making these four players unrestricted free agents. 

Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, San Jose Mercury News

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Sharks 2024 NHL Draft Rounds 2-7 Recap

 The rest of the 2024 NHL Draft is now complete, and the Sharks have once again excelled in one of their most important and monumental drafts in franchise history. This recap post will list each selection the Sharks made in rounds 2-7 of this year’s NHL Draft. However, unlike the first round recap, I won’t be going into detail about these selections due to my overall unfamiliarity with them prior to today. In addition, it seems pretty unlikely that most of the later round selections will make it to the NHL anytime soon, but they could potentially turn into something special, and I hope that’s the case with each of them. Without further ado, here are the remaining picks in the Sharks 2024 draft class: 

Round 2, Pick 33: Igor Chernyshov, LW, Dynamo Moscow (KHL) 

Round 2, Pick 53: Leo Sahlin Wallenius, D, Vaxjo Lakers HC U20 (Sweden Jr.)

Round 3, Pick 82: The Sharks moved up three spots in the third round, acquiring the 82nd overall pick from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for pick no. 85 and a 2025 6th-rounder, and used the 82nd pick to select RW Carson Wetsch from the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL.

Round 4, Pick 116: Christian Kirsch, G, EV Zug U20 (Swiss Jr.)

Round 5, Pick 131: Colton Roberts, D, Vancouver Giants (WHL)

Round 5, Pick 143: Nate Misskey, D, Victoria Royals (WHL)

Round 7, Pick 194: Yaroslav Korostelyov, G, CSKA St. Petersburg (MHL) 

In addition, the Sharks placed defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov on unconditional waivers and plan to buy out the last year of his contract, further clearing the logjam at the blue line. This doesn’t come as much of a shocker, as Knyzhov spent this past season in the AHL with the Barracuda and has tumbled down the organizational depth chart in recent seasons. 

Overall, the Sharks won the 2024 NHL Draft hands down. Besides their picks made in the first round last night in Celebrini and Dickinson, I especially dig the Sharks’ picks in the second and third rounds this year in Chernyshov, Sahlin Wallenius, and Wetsch, and feel that they have the tools and capabilities to become great consistent NHL regulars in a few seasons. Next up, this year’s NHL free agency frenzy opens on Monday, and I expect the Sharks to announce a flurry of moves on the first day of free agency. I plan to release a recap post of the Sharks’ transactions on the first day of free agency sometime Monday afternoon or evening, so stay tuned to CPF Hockey for more. 

Sources: NHL Network, Sharks + SAP Center App, Multiple Sources via Twitter/X 

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Sharks 2024 NHL Draft Round 1 Recap

 The first round of the monumental and historic 2024 NHL Draft is in the books, and the Sharks hit it out of the park with both of their first round selections. Let’s dive into them:

Round 1, Pick 1: Macklin Celebrini, C, Boston University (NCAA)

The consensus best overall prospect in this year’s draft class, this is a no-brainer and all but guaranteed since the Sharks won the draft lottery in May. Celebrini is a superstar-caliber player and a future face of the Sharks franchise for years to come who plays a highly competitive two-way game. Not only is he a projected top-six forward, Celebrini will be an impact player on the Sharks immediately next season. In his freshman season at Boston University, Macklin Celebrini scored 32 goals and 32 assists for 64 points in 38 games, winning the Hobey Baker Award as NCAA hockey MVP and a variety of other accolades. 

Round 1, Pick 11: Sam Dickinson, D, London Knights (OHL)

Dickinson is seen as a steal and one of the best puck-moving and all-around skating defensemen in this year’s draft class. He also has the potential to fit into the Sharks’ top two defensive pairs and quarterback the power play in future seasons. This past season with the London Knights of the OHL, Dickinson registered 18 goals and 52 assists for 70 points in 68 games. 

Overall, these are both excellent selections made by GM Mike Grier and the Sharks front office, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about the future of this Sharks team. It couldn’t be more fitting that the great Joe Thornton announced Celebrini as the first overall pick for the Sharks. San Jose definitely turned a corner in its rebuild tonight, and it’s only up from here. I’m not sure when Sam Dickinson will make it to the NHL, but I’m absolutely looking forward to Macklin Celebrini making a positive difference and lifting the Sharks up right away next season, with the same going for Dickinson whenever he makes his NHL debut. 

In addition, the Las Vegas Sphere is a breathtaking and unreal spectacle, and there aren’t many better places to host one of the most important NHL Drafts in Sharks history. Rounds 2-7 of this year’s NHL Draft resume tomorrow morning at 8:30 am PT, with the Sharks kicking off the later rounds at number 33 overall followed by picks 53, 85, 116, 131, 143, and 194 in the second, third, fourth, fifth, and seventh rounds respectively. Expect a recap post regarding the later rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft from the Sharks’ perspective on CPF Hockey sometime tomorrow once the entire draft is completed. 

Sources: ESPN, NHL Discussion Page via Instagram, Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Sharks Acquire No. 11 Pick + Carl Grundstrom

 The Sharks have made two separate trades on the day before the 2024 NHL Draft. 

First, the Sharks acquired the no. 11 overall pick from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for the no. 14 and no. 42 picks in tomorrow's NHL Draft. Team Teal has moved up three spots from their second projected first round pick and now have two selections in the top 11 and five in the first three rounds. 

The second trade facilitated by the Sharks ahead of tomorrow's NHL Draft is a one-for-one swap, with the Sharks acquiring forward Carl Grundstrom from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for defenseman Kyle Burroughs. Grundstrom adds more forward depth for San Jose and becomes a restricted free agent this offseason. This past season with the Kings, Grundstrom recorded eight goals and four assists in 50 games following a career year in 2022-23 in which he scored 12 goals and seven assists for 19 points in 57 games. In addition, Grundstrom appeared in two games with the Ontario Reign of the AHL last season, registering a goal and an assist. In total, Carl Grundstrom has 40 goals and 27 assists for 67 points in 236 NHL games since he made his NHL debut in 2019. He also has 30 goals and 42 assists for 72 points in in 99 AHL games, winning the Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies in 2018. 

On the other hand, Kyle Burroughs finished his 2023-24 campaign and only season with the Sharks with two goals and six assists for eight points in 73 games, ranking eighth in scoring among Sharks defensemen. He also led San Jose defensemen in penalty minutes with 71 this past season. In total, Burroughs has five goals and 14 assists for 19 points in 168 NHL games along with 177 penalty minutes. 

It's great to see the Sharks move up in the draft this year to increase their odds of landing more star talent in the first round. As for the second trade facilitated today by GM Mike Grier and the Sharks front office, pulling a trade with one of their biggest rivals is pretty rare and unusual, but I consider this one-for-one swap an upgrade for San Jose. The Sharks add more scoring depth and move on from both a bit of a defensive liability and a player I don't see as a significant loss for this team to further clear the logjam on the blue line.

Things are heating up ahead of tomorrow's monumental NHL Draft, especially for the San Jose Sharks. I plan to provide a recap of the first round from the Sharks' perspective tomorrow night and a list of selections made by Team Teal in the later rounds on Saturday, so be on the lookout for these as you won't want to miss any of them. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Sharks Acquire Jake Walman from Red Wings

 On the day after a legendary Stanley Cup Final Game 7, the Sharks acquired defenseman Jake Walman and the 53rd overall selection in the second round of this year's NHL Draft from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for future considerations. 

This is purely a cap dump move on behalf of the Red Wings, and the Sharks add a two-way defenseman in his prime to get them closer to the cap floor and help build around their future core of star players. This past season with the Red Wings, Walman recorded 12 goals and nine assists for 21 points in 63 games, finishing fourth among Red Wings defensemen and setting career-highs in goals and points. He also ranked second on the Red Wings last season in shorthanded ice time (154:15), third in average time on ice (19:46/game), and third in blocked shots among team blue liners with 151. In total, Jake Walman has 25 goals and 26 assists for 51 points in 202 career NHL games with the St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings. 

In addition, the 53rd overall pick in this year's draft originally belonged to the Tampa Bay Lightning and now becomes the third second-round selection (33, 42, 53) and fifth selection in the first two rounds (1, 14, 33, 42, 53) that the Sharks own in this year's NHL Draft.

In other news, the Sharks recently announced the hiring of Mike Potenza as their director of high performance, who returns to the Sharks after spending the past two years with the Golden State Warriors as their performance director. He was previously with the Sharks from 2016 to 2022 as a strength and conditioning coach, so the name definitely sounds familiar and reputable. 

Overall, I like this trade for the Sharks and feel that they greatly benefited from taking advantage of the Red Wings' cap crunch scenario. Team Teal added one of the Red Wings' best defensemen from the past few seasons and stockpiled another draft pick in the first two rounds to their arsenal of picks this year. I remember seeing two highlight clips from the past two seasons of Jake Walman scoring two overtime game-winning goals for the Red Wings and hitting the griddy after scoring both of these huge goals, which was one of my favorite celebrations I have ever seen a hockey player perform after scoring a big goal. I am certainly hoping to see more of that from Jake Walman in teal as soon as next season. I have nothing but positive thoughts on the Sharks' moves made this offseason to further progress their rebuild so far and am looking forward to everything else they have in store coming soon. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Florida Panthers Win 2024 Stanley Cup

 The Florida Panthers overcome the Edmonton Oilers in seven games to capture their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, narrowly avoiding getting reverse swept in an epic championship series for the ages. 

Before giving my personal commentary on this series as a whole, a brief overview of each game explaining how we got to this result:

 Game 1: Panthers shut out the Oilers 3-0. Carter Verhaeghe strikes first for Florida in the opening period, while Evan Rodrigues extends the Panthers’ lead to two in the middle frame. Eetu Luostarinen puts this one away late in the third with an empty-netter to seal the victory for the Panthers in Game 1. Sergei Bobrovsky becomes the fifth goalie in the past 40 seasons to record a shutout in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, stopping all 32 shots he faced.

Game 2: Panthers defeat the Oilers 4-1. The Oilers struck first in the opening period via Mattias Ekholm in the opening period, but it was all Florida from there. Niko Mikkola scored in the second period to tie the game at one, while Evan Rodrigues scored twice and Aaron Ekblad supplied an empty-netter in the third period to prevail in Game 2 of the Cup Final for the Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky had another outstanding performance in net, recording 18 saves on 19 shots against.

Game 3: Panthers defeat the Oilers 4-3. Florida gets on the board first with about a minute remaining in the opening period after Sam Reinhart redirects a shot from Gustav Forsling into the net. The Oilers tied it early in the second period via Warren Foegele, while the Panthers followed the equalizer with three unanswered goals from Vladimir Tarasenko, Sam Bennett, and Aleksander Barkov to give Florida a three-goal lead heading into the third period. Edmonton was able to mount a bit of a comeback in the third period with goals from Philip Broberg and Ryan McLeod, but the Oilers were unable to overcome the excellent play of Sergei Bobrovsky in the Panthers net and their defensive woes.

Game 4: Oilers blow out the Panthers 8-1 to stay alive and force Game 5. The Oilers got things going early in the first period on a shorthanded goal by Mattias Janmark and one at even strength from Adam Henrique. Vladimir Tarasenko scored the lone goal for the Panthers during the second half of the opening period, but it was all Edmonton from there. The Oilers lit up the Panthers for six more goals via two from Dylan Holloway late in the first period and late in the third period, Connor McDavid, Darnell Nurse, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the second period, and Ryan McLeod late in the third period to complete their statement performance in Game 4. Stuart Skinner had a huge bounceback performance in Game 4 for the Oilers, recording 32 saves on 33 shots against, while Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled in the second period after giving up his fifth goal of the night. In addition, Connor McDavid registered his 32nd assist of the playoffs, passing Wayne Gretzky for the most playoff assists in a season.

Game 5: Oilers defeat the Panthers 5-3 to force Game 6 and send the Cup Final back to Edmonton. Edmonton got off to another hot start, this time scoring three consecutive goals via Connor Brown in the first period while shorthanded and Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid early in the second period. The Oilers added two more goals via Corey Perry's first of the playoffs later in the middle frame and an empty-netter from Connor McDavid in the final seconds of the third period to seal the victory. The Panthers made this one close with three goals of their own from Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, but were never able to recover from their slow start and take the lead at any point during this game. Stuart Skinner recorded his second straight quality start in net after his Oilers dropped the first three games of the Cup Final, stopping 29 of 32 shots he faced. McDavid now becomes the third player in NHL history to score at least 40 points in a postseason, joining Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

Game 6: Oilers defeat the Panthers 5-1 to even the series at three and force a decisive Game 7. The Oilers scored three times to begin this one via Warren Foegele in the first period and Adam Henrique and Zach Hyman in the second period. Aleksander Barkov registered the only goal for the Panthers in Game 6 early in the third period, while the Oilers added two empty-netters via Ryan McLeod and Darnell Nurse late in the third. Stuart Skinner continues to perform his best in the Oilers net when Edmonton's backs are against the wall, recording 20 saves on 21 shots in the Oilers' third straight victory.

Game 7: Panthers defeat the Oilers 2-1 to avoid getting reverse swept and win the Stanley Cup. Carter Verhaeghe scored to get the Panthers on the board first in the opening period, followed soon after by Mattias Janmark responding to even the score at one for the Oilers. Florida gets the game-winner and Cup-clincher on a goal from Sam Reinhart set up extraordinarily by a huge and unbelievable assist by Dmitri Kulikov late in the second period. Sergei Bobrovsky had a huge bounceback performance from Games 4 through 6, recording 23 saves on 24 shots against in the Game 7 Cup victory, cementing his status as a future Hockey Hall-of-Famer. 

Aleksander Barkov became the first Finnish-born captain to lead his team to winning the Stanley Cup, while Connor McDavid became the first player since J.S. Giguere of the Ducks and the second non-goalie ever to win the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP while on the losing end of the Cup Final. In addition, Corey Perry became the first player in NHL history to lose four of the past five Stanley Cup Finals on four different teams, a truly amazing feat that very few could ever match.

What an incredible ending to a fantastic 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. I wanted the Panthers to win the Cup once it was determined that they would be facing the Oilers in the Cup Final this year, and I am very happy and relieved that they were able to get the job done and not allow themselves to get reverse swept. I am proud of everyone involved in helping the Panthers win their first-ever Stanley Cup, and this Florida Panthers team certainly earned it this year. It's great to see a team in a non-traditional hockey market who has previously had an inconsistent track record and struggling attendance numbers become one of the best teams in the NHL in recent seasons and finally win their first Stanley Cup. There were plenty of first-time Cup winners on this Panthers squad, but it is especially great to see former longtime Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time as a member of the Panthers' front office, who is one of the all-time greatest goalies in NHL history and an all-around great guy. I am also grateful and relieved that this Cup Final didn't result in one of the biggest collapses in sports history for the Panthers, and I didn't have to see Evander Kane hoist the Stanley Cup. As for former Sharks that received the privilege to hoist the Cup this year, Steven Lorentz and Jonah Gadjovich were able to add their names to the Cup for the first time this year, who I both see as more respectable than Evander Kane, and I can't help but feel happy for Lorentz and Gadjovich. 

Although they fell just short of the Stanley Cup, it has been quite the run for Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. How McDavid willed his team all they way to being one win shy of winning the Cup is nothing short of phenomenal, and they will have plenty more opportunities to return to the biggest stage in the coming seasons. I initially thought from the first three games that this series would wrap up in five games, but it ended up going the distance and couldn't have been scripted any better.

Next up, now that the NHL is fully in offseason mode, the biggest and most important entry draft in Sharks franchise history is taking place this Friday. I am looking forward to this year's NHL Draft as much as I was to the Cup Final that just concluded, and I will provide coverage of any important Sharks transactions leading up to the draft and draft news to CPF Hockey as soon as they occur.

Sources: ESPN, ABC, NHL App, NHL Discussion Page via Instagram 

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Sharks Trade Ozzy Wiesblatt to Predators for Egor Afanasyev

 The Sharks have made a swap of AHL forwards today, sending Ozzy Wiesblatt to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Egor Afanasyev. 

This is a rather minor trade but was motivated by Wiesblatt struggling to properly develop in the Sharks system. Drafted 31st overall by the Sharks in 2019, Wiesblatt spent the past two seasons in the AHL, most of them with the Barracuda and ending this past season on loan to the Milwaukee Admirals, the Predators' AHL affiliate. He recorded three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 34 AHL games this past season with the Barracuda along with six goals and nine assist for 15 points in 45 games in 2022-23. While on loan to Milwaukee to finish this past season, Wiesblatt registered three goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 31 games, 15 of which were in the postseason. 

Selected 45th overall by the Predators in 2019, Afanasyev registered 27 goals and 27 assists for 54 points in 56 AHL games with the Milwaukee Admirals this past season, leading the Admirals in goals and points and finishing third on the team in assists. He also scored his first professional hat trick and put up 14 multi-point efforts during the 2023-24 AHL regular season. In 15 Calder Cup playoff games this past season, Egor Afanasyev tallied five goals and four assists for nine points, including one hat trick. In addition, Afanasyev has one goal in 19 career NHL games with the Predators over the past two seasons. 

In all, I don't have any strong feelings about this trade for now, but it looks like the Sharks received the better player with a greater potential at this point in his pro hockey career in this deal. Afanasyev will also receive a greater opportunity to compete for a roster spot at the NHL with the Sharks than he ever did with the Predators, and this trade could greatly benefit the Sharks and their farm system in the long run. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App, NHL Discussion Page via Instagram 

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Sharks Acquire Ty Dellandrea from Dallas Stars + Bring Back Barclay Goodrow

 The Sharks announced today that they have acquired forward Ty Dellandrea from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2025 4th-round selection, the latter of which originally belonged to the Winnipeg Jets. 

Dellandrea is a pending restricted free agent this offseason and will be entering his age-24 season in 2024-25. This past season with the Stars, Dellandrea recorded two goals and seven assists for nine points in 42 games along with one goal in six playoff games. In total, Ty Dellandrea has 14 goals and 28 assists for 42 points in 151 NHL games along with six goals in 24 career Stanley Cup playoff games, all with the Dallas Stars. In addition, he has 27 goals and 32 assists for 59 points in 87 AHL games, all with the Texas Stars. 

Following the news of the Ty Dellandrea trade, the Sharks brought back a familiar face to the organization, claiming forward Barclay Goodrow off waivers from the New York Rangers. Goodrow will be entering his second stint in San Jose, where he started his NHL career and is best known for being a gritty depth forward and scoring one of the biggest goals in franchise history. This biggest goal in Sharks franchise history was a Game 7 OT winner that occurred during the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights to cap off a come-from-behind Game 7 win and series win. This past season with the Rangers, Goodrow registered four goals and eight assists for 12 points in 80 games along with six goals and two assists for eight points in 16 playoff games. One of those six postseason goals scored by Goodrow was the second playoff OT game-winner of his career, which occurred in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers. In addition, Goodrow ranked third on the Rangers in shorthanded time on ice (152:46) and fourth in hits and face-off percentage (54%). 

In total, Barclay Goodrow has 60 goals and 109 assists for 169 points in 572 career NHL games with the Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Rangers, along with 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points in 97 career Stanley Cup playoff games. He won the Stanley Cup twice with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021. His first tenure with the Sharks lasted for six seasons from 2014-15 to 2019-20, scoring 26 goals and 45 assists for 71 points in 268 games along with two goals in 22 playoff games. 

Overall, these are both great additions for the Sharks to shore up their forward depth and build a respectable roster around their next core of young players in Will Smith, William Eklund, and inevitably Macklin Celebrini. I think Ty Dellandrea will thrive and break out under the Sharks system, I have always had positive and fond memories of Barclay Goodrow when he was a Shark, and I am glad that Goodrow is back with the Sharks. Team Teal's offseason restructuring is far from over, and I cannot wait to see what Mike Grier and the Sharks front office have up their sleeve next. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Sharks Name Ryan Warsofsky Their New Head Coach

 The Sharks announced this morning that they have promoted assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky to become their next head coach and 11th head coach in franchise history. 

Warsofsky will be entering his third season with the Sharks, where his previous role consisted of him overseeing the team's defense and penalty kill. For much of this offseason until today, the Sharks' head coaching vacancy was narrowed down to Warsofsky and former Sharks forward and current head coach of the AHL's Ontario Reign Marco Sturm. As for the Sharks' previous head coach David Quinn, he was recently named an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Mike Sullivan's coaching staff. 

Overall, this is an excellent decision by the Sharks to promote from within to fill their head coaching vacancy. Warsofsky has definitely earned this promotion, as he has worked well with the Sharks' young players so far and has had prior experience as a head coach for the AHL's Chicago Wolves, leading them to the best record in the AHL and a Calder Cup victory. I continue to remain optimistic that this Sharks team can bounce back next season and further improve in seasons to come, and this is another significant reason why. 

Source: NBC Sports Bay Area/California 

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Former Sharks Forward Joe Pavelski Announces His Retirement

 After his Dallas Stars were recently eliminated in the Western Conference Finals by the Edmonton Oilers, longtime Sharks forward Joe Pavelski indicated that he plans to retire from the NHL. 

What a career it has been for Joe Pavelski in the NHL. Over the course of the past 18 seasons, Pavelski has accumulated 476 goals and 592 assists for 1,068 points in 1,533 games played, 1,332 of which were in the regular season. The conclusion of the 2023-24 regular season resulted in Pavelski finishing fifth among active players in goals and seventh in points. He was drafted in the seventh round at 205th overall by the Sharks in the 2003 draft and became one of the biggest draft steals of all time. In addition, his 201 playoff games made Joe Pavelski the 25th player to appear in at least 200 playoff games and the only one in that group to never win the Stanley Cup. In his last postseason run with the Stars, Pavelski recorded one goal in 19 postseason games. 

Joe Pavelski spent his first 13 seasons in San Jose, highlighted by being named team captain during the 2015-16 season and becoming one of the driving forces that led the Sharks to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in franchise history in 2016. During the summer of 2019, the Sharks were unable to agree to a new contract with Pavelski, resulting in Pavs signing a three-year, $21 million deal to join the Dallas Stars. He has signed consecutive one-year deals to remain with the Stars after his first deal with Dallas expired at the end of the 2021-22 season. In addition, Pavelski made it to the Cup Final for the second and last time in his playing career with the Stars in 2020 but lost to the Tampa Bay lighting in the Edmonton bubble that year. Pavs was one of those players who has improved his performance with age and known to be one of the best in the league at tipping and deflecting pucks into the net. He turns 40 next month and plans to move his family back to his native Wisconsin once he officially hangs up the skates. 

It sucks that Joe Pavelski was unable to win a Stanley Cup during his playing career, but I am eternally grateful for one of my all-time favorite San Jose Sharks. I'll always remember him for his exceptional goal-scoring, play-making, and leadership abilities. In addition, Joe Pavelski was an integral player in creating some of my best memories as a Sharks fan and hockey fan. I have had the privilege to see him play in person twice, once as a Shark in San Jose during the 2013-14 season and once as a Dallas Star in Los Angeles during the 2019-20 season. At the very least, Joe Pavelski should be considered for the Hockey Hall of Fame and have his number 8 retired by the Sharks and hung in the rafters at SAP Center sometime in the next few seasons. Looking forward to finding out and seeing what's next for Joe Pavelski in his post-NHL-playing days.

Sources: ESPN, San Jose Mercury News 

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