As reported on Sunday night, the Dallas Stars are expected to sign forward Joe Pavelski on Monday morning when the free agent signing period opens. It’s a move that should benefit both sides and help bolster the Dallas offense.
The night before the opening of Free Agency is always an intriguing time, especially for a team like the Dallas Stars.
With the opening of the free agent signing period just hours away, it’s one last chance for NHL insiders, analysts, and reporters to throw some final thoughts and information on social media and the Internet before heading to bed and preparing to officially break all of the news on July 1 at 11:00 a.m. CT when everything opens.
And for a team like the Stars that has been relatively busy in free agent negotiations over the past few seasons, June 30 is a time to gain a more solidified perspective of what direction the team may be headed in once the first day of July hits.
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That perspective came about on Sunday night when reports surfaced that San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski is expected to sign a three-year contract with the Dallas Stars on Monday morning when Free Agency begins. The contract is expected to carry an AAV somewhere in the $7 million range, which would give Pavelski the third-highest AAV on the Dallas roster (behind Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn).
Pavelski visited the Dallas Stars practice facility in Frisco on Wednesday afternoon during the Stars’ 2019 development camp session before making one other stop in Tampa Bay to meet with the Lightning. In addition, a handful of teams reportedly called and offered him a visit, but Dallas and Tampa ended up being his only stops.
If the reports do pan out (and it’s been reported by multiple sources, including David Pagnotta and Darren Dreger), Pavelski will have what could be the final contract of his NHL career locked up and the Stars will have a second-line center to bolster their top six.
Earlier in the week, I looked at what Pavelski would bring to the Dallas Stars and how he may fit in their mold.
Predlines
Though he’s currently 34 years of age and will be 35 before the beginning of the 2019-20 season, there’s no doubting that Pavelski is still one of the best offensive options on this year’s market. He just wrapped up a 2018-19 campaign that included 38 goals, 64 points, and a face-off win percentage of 53.2 percent. And while those goals came on a career-high shooting percentage of 20.2 percent and will likely be difficult to replicate, Pavelski can still be a substantial force in the offensive zone.
He averaged 32.8 goals per game and a win percentage of 54.0 percent in the face-off dot over the past six seasons, can play on the power play (he tallied 21 power play points in the 2018-19 season) and penalty kill, and can skate 19+ minutes per game while playing at center or on either wing.
A nasty concussion injury cut into his ability to contribute during the 2018-19 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he still managed to come away with four goals and nine points in 13 games.
Pavelski provides the Stars with a valuable net-front presence that is known for deflecting pucks and scoring goals via redirections. And while his speed may be a bit regressed from where it once was, he’s got the hockey IQ to make up for it. Putting him in the Stars’ top six provides an influx of offense and a scoring punch that was nonexistent for much of the 2018-19 campaign as Dallas finished tied for 28th in the NHL in scoring. Getting that back will be key in helping the team return to the postseason.
As an added bonus, he boasts a resume of winning that includes a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, 12 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and four years of serving as captain of the Sharks. Through 13 years of NHL experience, he’s seen and been through a lot.
With Pavelski, the Dallas Stars are making a commitment. Considering the cap hit and term, the Stars are expecting and relying on Pavelski to help mold them into a Stanley Cup contender. He’s got the history, stats, and experience to make a sincere and immediate impact on the lineup.
We’ll await the official confirmation on Monday at 11 a.m., but all signs currently point to Pavelski making Dallas his second and perhaps final NHL home.