Joe Pavelski, other Sharks' pending UFAs, near…
Joe Pavelski, other Sharks' pending UFAs, near interview period
San Jose Sharks captain can talk freely with other NHL teams as soon as Sunday
SAN JOSE, CA – May 8: San Jose Sharks' Joe Pavelski (8) waits for a face-off against the Colorado Avalanche in the first period of Game 7 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, May 8, 2019. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
By Curtis Pashelka | cpashelka@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: June 21, 2019 at 8:38 pm | UPDATED: June 22, 2019 at 3:52 am
More and more it appears Joe Pavelski and the Sharks' other pending unrestricted free agents will be able to talk freely with other teams as soon as Sunday, potentially moving those players that much closer to leaving San Jose.
Sharks general manager Doug Wilson met with Dan Plante, Pavelski's agent, Friday in Vancouver before the start of the NHL Draft and there was little change in negotiations for a new contract, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. LeBrun also reported that Joonas Donskoi will speak with other teams once the NHL's interview period for UFAs opens Sunday.
During the interview period, pending UFAs can meet with prospective teams, but are not allowed to discuss contract details. Those players, if they remained unsigned by their own teams, can sign with any team after 9 a.m. (PDT) on July 1.
Officially, the Sharks have four players besides Pavelski and Donskoi who can go to market July 1, including forwards Gus Nyquist and Micheal Haley and defenseman Tim Heed. Joe Thornton will also become a UFA at that time, but has said he would like to play at least another year and that he only wants to play in San Jose. He'll be back.
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It's not so clear-cut with Pavelski, 34, who is coming off a team-leading 38-goal season and would still appear to have a handful productive years ahead of him. LeBrun, though, reported that the length of a potential contract agreement between the Sharks and Pavelski could be a sticking point.
That was the case two years ago when the Sharks and Patrick Marleau were unable to reach a contract agreement. The Sharks reportedly only offered a two-year deal before Marleau signed a three-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Marleau is now 39.
Thornton became a UFA that same offseason. But after Marleau officially left for Toronto, Thornton signed a one-year deal to remain with the Sharks.
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"Ultimately we want players who want to be here, but they also have the ability and should have the ability, if they want, to gather more information and see what's out there," Wilson told reporters earlier this week. "We did that with Joe Thornton and we did that with Patty Marleau.
"While they might have made different decisions, the approach to me has always been consistent. If some of our players want to do the same thing, we're open to that."
Pavelski, who has 761 points in 963 career games with the Sharks and has been the team's captain for the last four seasons, reiterated earlier this month his desire to remain in San Jose, saying he was "definitely optimistic. Definitely love it there and we'll see where it goes."
Sharks coach Pete DeBoer told NHL.com that Pavelski's "a really hard guy to replace, borderline irreplaceable. So I'm hopeful. I don't play a role in that. There's a lot of different things that go into those decisions both for him and the team, but I'm hopeful and I think he wants to be back, so that gives me optimism."
▪ The Sharks did not have a pick Friday when the first round of the draft was held at Rogers Arena. The conditional 2019 pick they dealt to the Buffalo Sabres for Evander Kane at the 2018 NHL trade deadline turned into a first rounder when the Sharks signed Kane to a contract extension last offseason.
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When the second round resumes Saturday morning, the Sharks will pick 41st overall, a selection they received Tuesday when they traded defenseman Justin Braun to the Philadelphia Flyers. The Sharks also have picks in the third round (91st overall), and fifth (153rd), sixth (184th) and seventh rounds (215th).
▪ The Sharks' season opening game will be against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 2 at T-Mobile Arena, the NHL announced Friday. The two teams will meet again at SAP Center on Oct. 4 for San Jose's home opener. The full 2019-20 regular season schedule will be announced Tuesday morning.
Curtis Pashelka
Curtis Pashelka is the San Jose Sharks reporter for the Bay Area News Group. Prior to covering the Sharks, Curtis served as the high school sports editor for the East Bay. He also worked as a general assignment reporter covering motorsports, golf and college basketball, and as a backup writer on the A's, Giants and Warriors. He started at the organization in 2000 and spent close to eight years covering high school sports.
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