Tim Chiasson

Halifax • Canada • 33 Years Old • Male

Why Joe Pavelski Deserved His Dollars

The Sharks raised a few eyebrows when they gave Joe Pavelski the identical deal that Logan Couture received. Each player got a nice raise, going to $6M per for five seasons on their respective extensions.

The purpose of this blog is to calm the naysayers about Pavelski's new deal.

Here are the stats for the last three seasons for each player.

Couture

207 GP
158 Pts
84 G
74 A

Pavelski

204 GP
158 Pts
67 G
91 A

Almost identical. The only issue I have is that Couture wasn't locked up for 8 years. The age factor is 29-24 for Pavelski and the contract length (5 years) doesn't put the Sharks against the wall.

Pavelski produces offense and plays a nice two-way game to boot, so there shouldn't be any issues with his deal. It's a safe assumption that Jumbo Joe and Marleau won't be Sharks after this season so there won't be any major cap issues.

The Sharks just locked up their first and second line centers for five years and that's a good thing. The money that opens up from Thornton and Marleau's departure will serve the remainder of the roster well.

The best thing about these deals isn't the amount of production the two players provide, it's the stability they give to the Sharks. Couture missed only five games in the past three seasons and Pavelski missed only eight. That's the type of health you long for down the middle for your top six, a position that is difficult to replace even for short periods of time.

That's all for now.

Stay icy, Sharks fans.

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