Dallas

Joe Pavelski Leaves San Jose Sharks, Signs With Dallas Stars

The Stars signed Joe Pavelski to a $21 million, three-year contract Monday, adding another scoring threat to their leading duo of Tyler Seguin and captain Jamie Benn.

Pavelski developed from a unheralded seventh-round pick in 2003 to one of the greatest players in San Jose Sharks history, ranking second in team history in goals (355), third in points (761) and fourth in games played (963).

Pavelski, who turns 35 this month, also was a leader as captain the past four seasons and favorite of both the fans and his teammates. Never was that more evident than this past postseason when he suffered a bloody concussion following a cross check in Game 7 of the first round against Vegas.

After he was helped off the ice, his teammates rallied for their fallen leader by scoring four goals on the ensuing major power play to advance to the second round. Pavelski got a thunderous ovation during Game 5 the following round when he came out waving a towel during a break in the third period and then returned to the ice for Game 7 when he scored the first goal.

The Sharks now must replace Pavelski's scoring (38 goals last season) as well as his leadership.

"When you have a player like that leaving, it's a chance for young players to step up in a bigger role," Meier said. "That's my mindset, to come into the next season and hopefully get a spot on the first power play, get some more playing time. I want to take full advantage of that opportunity.

Meier, who turns 23 in October, is coming off a breakthrough season when he became a fixture as a top six forward in San Jose. He had 30 goals and 36 assists in 78 games, making a major jump from his first full season when he had 36 points in 81 games.

Sports Connection

Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.

Sweet 16, Elite 8 games will mean big bucks for Dallas

West-leading Stars wrap up playoff spot, beating Canucks Thursday for 6th straight victory

Making Meier even more valuable was the fact that he did almost all of his damage at even strength, tying for second on the team with 24 goals and ranking second with 55 points in those situations. Meier added five goals and 10 assists in the playoffs.

"When you see players like that play a man's game and have a great scoring touch, I don't think you can put a ceiling on where he can get to," Wilson said. "The opportunities that will be coming to both him and Tomas Hertl will be very exciting for this franchise."

The Sharks also re-signed defenseman Tim Heed to a one-year deal. The 28-year-old Heed had two goals and 11 assists in 37 games last season and should slot in to replace Justin Braun on San Jose's third pairing.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us