Dallas Stars Forward Joe Pavelski Leaving the NHL

Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski has known for a while that the 2023-24 season would probably be his last in the NHL. But, he kept that to himself up until Tuesday, when it was revealed during exit interviews.

While Joe Pavelski didn’t outright say he was retiring from the NHL, that is certainly what his words felt like. He told reporters on Tuesday that he will not be playing next season, adding “this is it for me.”

At 40 years old, Joe Pavelski was the second oldest player in the NHL behind Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano. This was his 18th year in the league, and fifth with the Dallas Stars. 

Unfortunately, their bid for the Stanley Cup was ended over the weekend when the Edmonton Oilers eliminated them in six games in the Western Conference Finals. It was yet another close call for Pavelski, as a championship is the only thing missing from his impressive resume.

Slated to be an unrestricted free agent, Joe Pavelski is someone who had a lasting impact on his Dallas Stars teammates. Several of them, including Wyatt Johnson, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, were emotional when talking about the veteran’s future.

“I don’t know if it’ll be Joe’s last game or not, but it was an absolute privilege of my coaching career to coach a guy like that,” Stars coach Peter DeBoer said after Game 6. “Our young players are all better for having been around a guy like that.”

If this is the end for Joe Pavelski, he will have had quite a career to look back on. A seventh-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2003, he would go on to become one of the best players in franchise history.

He spent the first 13 seasons of his career in San Jose before playing the last five with the Dallas Stars. In 1,332 games, he has scored 476 goals and recorded 1,068 points overall. Joe Pavelski played in 201 career playoff games, scoring 74 goals with 143 total points.