Former Chicago Blackhawk turned NHL GM confesses horrible blunder

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Joshua Deeds
August 4, 2024 (9:24 PM)

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With the ending of Joe Pavelski's NHL career coming at the finish of the 2023-2024 NHL season, you have to ponder what could've been after 18 seasons in the league.

Pavelski was a 2003, 7th round selection by the San Jose Sharks and would play 963 games in a San Jose uniform. Scorring 761 points( 355 G, 406 A) during his NHL career, earning the Sharks Captaincy would exit the organization in 2019 after contract talks failed, and Pavelski wasn't offered an extension.

He would instead spend the rest of his career with the Dallas Stars scoring 307 points( 121 G, 181 A) in four seasons.

Wilson's error in judgment is obvious, letting a superstar walk to free-agency.

"Sometimes, you can overanalyze things," Wilson said. "But I, as a GM, with my love for Pavs and realizing how special he was, I look back, I probably should have dismissed historical analysis of contracts for players that age and said screw it."

"I was the GM. I take full responsibility," Wilson said. "I wish I'd just said, you know what, he is that aberration? He proved that he is."

Instead he would prioritize Erik Karlsson, offering a massive contract to the defenseman, who is now a Penguin, long-gone from the Sharks organization.

"Joe Pavelski is a player that we should be so proud of that we had the good fortune of getting him and having him as long as we did," Wilson said. "Pav beat all the odds getting drafted in the seventh round and playing at the level he did until he was 40," Wilson said.

"I said, I tip my hat to you and am so amazed by everything that you've accomplished. It's not surprising. I wish, in hindsight, we would have kept him," Wilson said.

Source: Hockey Feed
Ex-Sharks GM Doug Wilson admits to major error in judgement