San Jose could be about to lose an important piece of its franchise.
It appears like Sharks captain Joe Pavelski is leaning toward moving on from the team in free agency this summer, his agent told The Athletic on Friday. Pavelski has already met with the Stars and Lightning and could choose to sign with one of them.
Just spoke with Joe Pavelski’s agent, Dan Plante. The overwhelming sense now is that Pavelski will be moving on to another team as a free agent. Sounds like the end of an era in San Jose
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) June 28, 2019
The 34-year-old center has spent all 13 seasons of his NHL career in San Jose, but the Sharks may not have enough cap space to re-sign him, as 29-year-old defenseman Erik Karlsson has already inked an eight-year, $92 million deal with the team.
Pavelski scored 38 goals last season and helped San Jose get back to the Western Conference finals where it lost to the eventual champion Blues in six games. But it appears like youth could be the priority for San Jose.
The Sharks posted a 46-27-9 record last year and finished second in the Pacific Division. Losing such a critical part of their success could bring serious change to San Jose should he chose to relocate.