Former Sharks GM Regrets Letting Joe Pavelski Leave

Doug Wilson says he should have found a way to keep Joe Pavelski with the San Jose Sharks.

May 11, 2019; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Joe Pavelski (8) in the game against the St. Louis Blues during the first period in game one of the Western Conference Final of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

After 18 steady seasons in the NHL, longtime San Jose Sharks forward Joe Pavelski called it a career. Pavelski spent his first 13 years with the Sharks, including four as captain and his final five seasons with the Dallas Stars.

Despite some fantastic years with the Stars, including a career-high 81 points in 2021-22, Pavelski will always be known as a Shark.

The Sharks selected Pavelski in the seventh round (205th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft. Getting a future Hall of Famer that deep in the draft is extremely rare, something former general manager Doug Wilson recently joked about.

“If we're so smart, why did we wait until the seventh round to draft him?” Wilson told Shane Peng of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Wilson was named Sharks’ GM just before the 2003 Draft and remained the front-office leader until his brief retirement in 2022. Wilson oversaw Pavelski’s entire tenure in San Jose, including his departure to free agency in 2019.

Looking back on Pavelski finding his way to Dallas, Wilson regrets letting his captain walk.

“We should have found a way to get it done,” Wilson said. “It was a mistake.”

Pavelski played 963 games with the Sharks, scoring 355 goals and 406 assists for 761 total points. Each of those stats is among the top four in Sharks franchise history.

It’s never easy to see a franchise icon walk, but Pavelski wanted to compete. In their first season without Pavelski, the Sharks went from second in the Pacific Division to dead last and have not seen the playoffs since.

Pavelski signed with the Stars and immediately competed for a Stanley Cup. The Stars appeared in the Cup Final in 2020, capping Pavelski’s first season in Dallas.

Only once in Pavelski’s five seasons in Dallas did the Stars not make the playoffs. In addition to their Cup Final loss, the Stars also made it to the Western Conference Final twice.

Pavelski had one of the most consistent careers the NHL has ever seen, but he hung up the skates without a Cup ring. His odds may have been slimmer had he stayed in San Jose, but he may have given the Sharks a chance to remain competitive.

It’s a move Wilson would like to have back.

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