Sharks Must Also Re-Sign Joe Pavelski After Giving Erik Karlsson Huge 8-Year Deal

The San Jose Sharks have started their offseason with a major move, re-signing star defenseman Erik Karlsson to a huge contract for the next eight years. However, Karlsson is not the only person the Sharks have to worry about on an expiring deal. They still have holes in their roster and big names to lock in.

One of their imminent free agents happens to be their captain, Joe Pavelski, whom the Sharks simply cannot allow to leave-- unless they want a ton of backlash from their fans and a bad reputation to follow.

To this point, the Sharks have prioritized a star defenseman who has only been on the team for one season over their captain has was drafted by the team in the seventh round 13 years ago and has spent his entire NHL career wearing the teal.

If San Jose doesn't bring back Pavelski, they will be known as the team who turned their back on not only a loyal player, but a skipper who would risk anything to get back on the ice with his team. These fans would never let an organization off the hook for blowing this, nor should they.

Pavelski has proven over and over that he is the heartbeat of this San Jose team. When he was injured in Game 7 of the first round against the Vegas Golden Knights, the rest of his team harnessed his energy and rallied for four goals on their ensuing five-minute power play.

When he return later on in the playoffs in Game 7 of the second round against the Colorado Avalanche and scored the first goal of the game, the team fed off his return and advanced to the Western Conference Finals against the St. Louis Blues. Seeing this man play anywhere else just won't be right.