Sometimes retirement isn't meant for everybody. I know some people can get bored sitting around the house with nothing to do. That's why Walmart used to hire senior citizens to greet customers at the door and hand out stickers to kids when they walked in. You wonder if Joe Pavelski feels the same urge to return to hockey. There are only so many rounds of golf that you can play before you get bored with playing the game.
The reason I'm bringing all this up is that the Indianapolis Colts are considering signing retired NFL quarterback Philip Rivers after losing Daniel Jones for the season and Riley Leonard to day-to-day status. The Colts are going to need a quarterback if they want to finish out the regular season and play in the postseason, and what better way than to sign someone they can trust to get the job done. At 44, Rivers would be one of the oldest quarterbacks in the league.
You have to wonder if Jim Nill is considering this same route because of how much a trade could cost if the Stars were to make one. The Stars aren't afraid to take a massive swing to reach the Stanley Cup during their contention window. Look at what happened at the trade deadline last year with Mikko Rantanen. The Stars weren't even in the conversations until the Carolina Hurricanes wanted to get some help in case he bolted during free agency.
The Stars don't have the assets to pull that kind of trade off again this season. With little to do with draft picks and prospects worth trading for, you have to wonder if Jim Nill has considered reaching out to the veteran leader. It would feel like in Avengers: Endgame when the Avengers go to Tony Stark's house and tell him about time traveling. Does Pavelski have that urge to return to the team he's familiar with for one last run at the Stanley Cup? That's something that's yet to be seen.
While I doubt Pavelski wants to return to the game of hockey, it's worth kicking the tires on to save money at the trade deadline and not having to worry about salary cap gymnastics once Tyler Seguin returns from his torn ACL. I doubt the Stars want to trade players like Lian Bichsel and Mavrik Bourque, because if they don't win the Stanley Cup this season, they lose more valuable assets that could help them down the road.
In conclusion, it would be a long shot for Pavelski to return to hockey at his given age. However, with how close the Stars are to winning the Stanley Cup and how they are doing this season, you wonder if that urge to win the Cup is in his mind. It could be a sacrifice that Pavelski makes to win the Stanley Cup. Let's see if the Stars decide to pull a page from the Colts' playbook and ask Pavelski about coming in for a workout to see if he wants to come back.