Is Joe Pavelski a NHL Hall Of Famer?

Is the recently retired Joe Pavelski a future NHL Hall of Famer?

Jacob Punturi | Jul 17, 2024

May 1, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars center Joe Pavelski (16) and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) chase the puck in the Vegas zone during the second period in game five of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

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After 18 seasons in the NHL, Joe Pavelski officially announced his retirement. He leaves the game after 1,332 games of NHL action split between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. While he may not have achieved every accolade he wanted to, there's no doubting how excellent of a career he had.

A huge question that pops up when anyone retires is whether the have a Hall of Fame resume or not. Pavelski is an interesting situation because he is right on the line, with equal arguments for including and excluding him. So, let's take a deeper look into the numbers and facts to see what sort of case he has.

In his 1,332 NHL games, Pavelski was quite the productive player. He scored 476 goals and added 592 assists for 1,068 career points. The number places him 71st in the league's all-time scoring leaders and sixth among all American-born NHL players.

Pavelski also played his best in the playoffs. He scored the most postseason goals by an American with 74 over 201 postseason contests. He added 69 helpers over that span as well for 143 total points. He was one of the most consistent performers regardless of the team he played for.

When the Sharks went to the Stanley Cup final in 2016, he netted 14 goals in 24 games. He found similar success with the Stars during their run in 2020. He scored 13 goals during that postseason run, as the Stars lost in the final series.

There are two serious knocks on Pavelski’s Hall of Fame resume. The first is that aside from his All-Star team selections, he failed to win any notable individual awards. Playing nearly two decades, he played through the low-scoring dip of late 2000’s but never led the league in goals or points.

Secondly, despite playing in 201 postseason games, he never won the game's biggest prize. Internationally, he won a silver medal with Team USA in 2010, but he was unable to hoist the Stanley Cup during his playing career. That fact could be the main reason that Pavelski never makes the Hall of Fame.

At the end of the day, Pavelski was a great NHL player but not a Hall of Fame worthy one. However, the election committee is an unpredictable entity who have enshrined far stranger candidates. For those firmly devoted to Pavelski’s Hall of Fame campaign, there’s cause for hope that over time the committee will come around to the idea.

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Published Jul 17, 2024

JACOB PUNTURI