In an interview with San Jose Hockey Now, former San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson admitted that not re-signing captain Joe Pavelski in 2019 was a mistake.
Wilson has been out of the public eye since stepping away from the Sharks in 21-22 due to medical issues.
In the summer of 2019, the Sharks boldly decided to extend Erik Karlsson but could not get their long-time captain under contract. Pavelski eventually signed with the Dallas Stars.
Pavelski scored 38 goals that season but had dealt with some severe injuries during the postseason run, including the iconic game seven comeback win over the Golden Knights that was sparked by Pavelski’s head injury.
“Sometimes, you can overanalyze things,” Wilson told Sheng Peng. “But I, as a GM, with my love for Pavs and realizing how special he was, I look back, I probably should have dismissed historical analysis of contracts for players that age and said screw it.”
At 34-years-old the 2003 seventh-round NHL draft pick had all the odds against him, despite his consistent production. Pavelski wasn’t the best skater, but as he aged, that would only worsen. Despite that, he played five seasons with the Stars, scoring 121 goals and 186 assists. He was part of Dallas’ top line with Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson.
Pavelski announced his official retirement from the NHL, and both the Stars and Sharks posted touching tribute videos on social media.
“I was the GM. I take full responsibility,” Wilson said. “I wish I’d just said, you know what, he is that aberration? He proved that he is.”
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Wilson told SJHN that he told Pavelski everything he wanted to after he announced his retirement.
“Joe Pavelski is a player that we should be so proud of that we had the good fortune of getting him and having him as long as we did,” Wilson said. “Pav beat all the odds … getting drafted in the seventh round and playing at the level he did until he was 40,” Wilson said.
“Wilson, by the way, told Pavelski all that last week,” Peng wrote.
“I said, I tip my hat to you and am so amazed by everything that you’ve accomplished. It’s not surprising. I wish, in hindsight, we would have kept him,” Wilson said.
Pavelski said he had spoken to Sharks GM Mike Grier about a possible reunion this season, but ultimately, nothing came from those discussions.
Related: Joe Pavelski Officially Retires; Confirms He Spoke With Sharks
Pavelski on @SiriusXMNHL, “I’m sticking to that plan. There is no plan to play. I didn’t want to use the R word right away just for the fact that there isn’t anything set in stone. I wanted a little extra time to think about it but I was pretty comfortable with that plan.”…
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) July 16, 2024
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