By Nathan Moser
After 18 seasons in the NHL, forward Joe Pavelski has officially retired from playing in the league. He was originally drafted by the San Jose Sharks with their seventh-round pick (205th overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He made his league debut during the 2006-07 campaign, where he posted 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points in 46 games. He learned from some of the best talents in Sharks history, such as Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.
It did not take long before Pavelski became a Sharks legend in his own right. He became one of their best offensive weapons. While in San Jose, he hit the 30-goal mark on five different occasions and had his career best in goals during the 2013-14 season when he scored 41 goals. He fell short of getting 40 a few other times; as he tallied 38 goals in 2015-16, 38 in 2018-19, and 37 in 2014-15.
Pavelski also was a key contributor in helping San Jose make the playoffs 12 times. His best postseason totals came in the 2016 playoffs, when he put up 23 points in 24 games (14 goals and nine assists). That was also the playoffs where the Sharks made the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history. They would not defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins, but Pavelski individually had a great playoff run with the team and he proved like he did every postseason while he is one of the best to ever don the Sharks sweater.
As great as he was for the Sharks, he also became a special player in the history of the Dallas Stars. He signed a contract with the team in the 2019 offseason. He was an immediate force in the lineup for the Stars; who already had some crucial pieces in their lineup like Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Miro Heiskanen, and John Klingberg among others. He finished the 2019-20 campaign with 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points in 67 games. In the 2020 playoffs (which were different due to COVID-19), he accumulated 13 goals and six assists for 19 points in 27 games. The Stars made it to the Stanley Cup Final (Pavelski’s second appearance in his career), but they lost to Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.
Pavelski also had his best statistical season of his career in Dallas. He notched 81 points in 82 games during the 2021-22 campaign (27 goals and 54 assists). If there was one thing about Pavelski, he never really seemed to slow down based on production. Even in his last season in 2023-24, he finished with 67 points in 82 games (27 goals and 40 assists). Those 67 points were good enough to be ranked second on the Stars in points. Only Jason Robertson (80 points) had more.
Overall, Pavelski was a fantastic leader both on and off the ice. He meant so much to the locker rooms he played in with San Jose and Dallas. His number should be retired by the Sharks when that time comes. His impact will be felt on the league for many years to come with how many younger players he helped. Congratulations to Pavelski on an awesome career. Best of luck to him in whatever he does next.
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