Stars sign forward Joe Pavelski to 3-year, $21 million contract

FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nillannounced today that the club has signed forward Joe Paveleski to a three-year contract, which will run through the 2021-22 season. The three-year contract is worth $21,000,000 and has an average annual value (AAV) of $7,000,000.

Pavelski, 34, registered 64 points (38-26=64) in 75 regular-season games during the 2018-19 campaign with the San Jose Sharks. The forward finished the season ranked first on the club and shared 14th in the NHL in goals (38), which was tied for the second-highest regular season total of his NHL career. He led the team and shared 12th in the League with 12 power play goals, while he finished tied on the Sharks with six game-winning goals. In 2018-19, Pavelski became the fifth player in the history of the NHL to record 700 career points and the 13th to reach the 900 games played plateau among players selected 200th or later in the NHL Draft. During the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the forward posted nine points (4-5=9) in 13 postseason contests and ranked third on the team with two power play goals.

Originally selected in the seventh round (205th overall) in the 2003 NHL Draft, Pavelski has played all of his 13 NHL seasons with the Sharks, and was named the team's ninth full-time captain on Oct. 5, 2015. He has amassed 761 points (355-406=761) in 963 career regular-season contests. Pavelski reached the 60-point plateau in each of the last six seasons and in eight of his last nine campaigns. He surpassed the 20-goal plateau for the 10th time in his NHL career last season and became one of only two players in NHL history drafted in the seventh round to do so, joining Hockey Hall of Fame Honored Member Doug Gilmour.
The forward departs the Sharks ranking second in San Jose history in goals (355), while ranking third in points (761) and assists (406). Additionally, he ranked second in power play goals (121) and game-winning goals (60), and fourth in games played (963). Pavelski has made three All-Star Game appearances in his career, being named to the 2016, 2017 and 2019 All-Star squads. In 2013-14, he was selected as a NHL Second Team All-Star after finishing tied for eighth in the League with a career-best 79 points (41-38=79).
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound native of Plover, Wisc. has qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 12 of his 13 NHL seasons, registering 100 points (48-52=100) in 134 career postseason contests. Among active players, he is tied for sixth in postseason goals (48), ranks 14th in points (100) and shares 14th in postseason games played (134). Pavelski helped the Sharks to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, finishing the 2016 postseason ranking first in the NHL with 14 goals and third with 23 points (14-9=23) in 24 contests.

"It is not every day a player the caliber of Joe becomes available, and we're thrilled to be able to add him to our club," said Nill. "He is a leader in every sense of the word, and a proven goal-scorer that continues to produce at an elite level. In meeting with him, it is evident how much he values winning, and that mindset will mesh perfectly with our leadership group."
Pavelski has represented the United States four times at the international level. He most recently served as captain for Team USA at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey where he recorded two points (1-1=2) in three contests. Pavelski has skated for his country in two Winter Olympics (2010, 2014) and helped the United States capture a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Previous to his experience as a professional, he won championships at the USHL level with Waterloo and the NCAA level with Wisconsin.