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San Jose Sharks: Breaking down the impact of Joe Pavelski leaving

By Matthew Rios

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 14: Joe Pavelski #8 of the San Jose Sharks waits for a faceoff in the third period of a game against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on April 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Sharks 6-3 to take a 2-1 lead in the series. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 14: Joe Pavelski #8 of the San Jose Sharks waits for a faceoff in the third period of a game against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on April 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Sharks 6-3 to take a 2-1 lead in the series. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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With training camp opening in a few days, the San Jose Sharks are already dealing with a couple of problems that they did not expect to have at the end of last season. Here is why Joe Pavelski leaving is not as big as it seems.

At the start of last season, the San Jose Sharks did not expect that they would see their star player and captain Joe Pavelski leave them for another team in free agency.

Just a few days away from training camp, head coach Peter DeBoer and general manager Doug Wilson are in a situation where they are trying to find their next captain and the players that will fill the shoes of the former captain.

The Sharks drafted Joe Pavelski 205th overall in the 2003 NHL draft and would see him turn into the two-time 38-goal scorer that he was. He was also the Sharks captain from the 2015 season until his departure at the end of the 2019 season.

While some Sharks fans have an idea of who the next captain will be, there is nothing set in stone until the announcement. The Sharks will also have to rely on players they have for now to fill those shoes as they had a relatively quiet offseason.

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When the Worcester Sharks turned into the San Jose Barracuda in 2015, it gave the Sharks a new weapon as they now had their farm system just down the hall from their locker room.

This season, it will play a much bigger role as they will try to find players to fill the shoes of a few different players that either got traded or left in free agency.

The Barracuda players who we will most likely see this year are the likes of Antti Suomela, Alexander True, Dylan Gambrell, Jacob Middleton, and Jacob McGrew. Some of these names we have seen before while others we have not.

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This training camp, there will be many opportunities for these players to play a bigger role and try to win that spot on the roster for opening night.

The Sharks do not have to worry too much about the impact of Joe Pavelski leaving as they have the young talent in the system to step up and fill his role.

Off the ice, Pavelski was a fan favorite as he was one of the many guys that would leave it all on the ice every time he went out. In the community he would also lead by example, and the Sharks community will certainly miss that.

It was difficult when Patrick Marleau left, but seeing Joe Pavelski leave still hurts a little more as the Sharks were the team that drafted him 205th overall and saw him grow into the All-Star player that he is.

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Fans get attached to these players because they see the hard work that they put in during the season and during the offseason for the city that they are in. Joe Pavelski was a prime example of that.

One player does not make a team but it will be seen the impact Pavelski had when they Sharks take the ice every game. It will not be as big as what people think, but there will be a difference.

This season will be a whole new task for Team Teal as this will be their first training camp without their former captain, but it will also be a new beginning for a lot of young talent that is ready to be up with the big leaguers.

Training camp officially opens on September 12th at Solar4America Ice in San Jose and the Sharks will play their first preseason game on September 17 when they host division rival Anaheim Ducks.

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But this will all be done without the guidance of Joe Pavelski.

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