Joe Pavelski's departure from San Jose was, understandably, an emotional one considering he was part of the Sharks for 13 seasons.
So when it came to hitting the free-agent market and potentially signing with a new team, he talked to another former Sharks' captain who went through the same thing -- Patrick Marleau.
"Last week we talked a little bit, a couple of times," Pavelski told Dan Rosen on NHL Network on Monday. "Kind of heard a little bit of what he went through, or knew a lot of it anyways. But just going through it again and really kind of hashing it out and hearing how it was."
Marleau left the Sharks in 2017 after 19 seasons to sign a three-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, when he and the Sharks couldn't come to an agreement on the length or dollar amount of a contract. Just a couple of offseasons later, his former teammate Pavelski was in a very similar boat.
"He reached out and he was always there," Pavelski said of Marleau, who he played with for 11 seasons. "He left it as, 'give me a shout if you have any questions, if you need help with anything.'
"That's the type of person he is, that's the type of teammate he was."
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Marleau recently was traded from the Maple Leafs to the Hurricanes in order to free up cap space, and then was subsequently bought out by Carolina. Marleau has been very vocal about wanting to return to San Jose, and with Pavelski's departure, questions have swirled as to whether the Sharks could be in need of his services.
Pavelski appears to believe a reunion between Marleau and Team Teal is possible -- although given San Jose's cap constraints, reaching common ground on a deal may not be so easy.
"Hopefully if he's heading back to the San Jose Sharks, he's going to get what he deserves," Pavelski told NHL Network. "He meant everything to the organization for a long time and it would be great to see him back there."
Sharks general manager Doug Wilson was asked during a conference call on Monday morning if the team has had any contact with Marleau over the last couple of weeks. Wilson said there hadn't been any talks with Marleau -- or any other player outside of the organization for that matter.
"I've been so focused on doing our own things here I haven't gotten to those types of conversations," Wilson summarized.
Clearly, dealing with the emotional departure of Pavelski was at the forefront of Wilson's mind, especially considering the lasting impact Pavelski will have on the team.
[RELATED: Losing Pavelski is painful but necessary move for Sharks]
"The impact he's had on this franchise and on his teammates are going to be felt for years to come," Wilson said. "Under the cap system, these are pretty difficult decisions. We've been through this in recent years. But you're never going to hear anything but tremendous admiration and respect for Joe and (Joe's wife) Sarah and we were really, really fortunate to have had them for 13 years."
