NHL Rumors: Joe Pavelski likely won’t return to San Jose Sharks

According to the latest NHL rumors from Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, the San Jose Sharks likely won’t be able to keep captain Joe Pavelski around. He’ll become a free agent on July 1.

NHL free agency begins on Monday, July 1. There will be some big names available. One of them, according to the latest NHL rumors, will be San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski. According to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, who spoke to Pavelski’s agent, he likely won’t be returning to the Sharks.

This seemed inevitable, but it still seems surprising. Pavelski been with the Sharks for so long. It will be odd seeing him in any other sweater. After the Sharks signed Erik Karlsson to a long-term deal, they were going to have to make some tough decisions. One of them was not being able to pay Pavelski as much as other teams.

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A return is not out of the cards. However, it seems it’s not likely Pavelski will return. That’s the cold, hard truth. Hockey is a cruel business. The Sharks had to make an extremely tough one by not paying Pavelski enough to keep him off the free agent market.

If this is the last game he plays with the Sharks, he’ll leave as one of the greatest players in franchise history. In 963 regular season games, Pavelski has 355 goals, 406 assists, and 761 points. He’s added 100 points in 134 postseason games.

Pavelski has served as the Sharks captain since the start of the 2015-16 season. He’s been with them since San Jose drafted him in the seventh round of the 2003 NHL Draft. Pavelski made his NHL debut at the age of 23 during the 2006-07 season.

Even though he turns 35 on July 11, he shouldn’t have a shortage of suitors. The Arizona Coyotes have expressed interest in him. It is rumored the Colorado Avalanche would like to sign him. Pavelski has had meetings with the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning in the past week.

It will be interesting to see what kind of deal he gets. Pavelski will most likely get a two-year deal, but three years seems to be pushing it. Patrick Marleau was able to get a three-year deal, so that’s certainly possible for Pavelski. But keep in mind the Maple Leafs just had to give up a first-round pick to get rid of his contract. Something to keep in mind.

The Sharks are expected to try to re-sign Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc to bridge deals. Keeping Pavelski around was always going to be hard to do. The Sharks are betting on their young players stepping up and replacing him.

San Jose’s also betting on Karlsson to remain healthy enough to help them win a Stanley Cup. It’s a darn shame Pavelski probably won’t be a part of it if they do win one.