DALLAS — Filling the holes in your hockey roster is a tough business. You roll the dice on a 39-year-old Sergei Gonchar or even a 30-year-old Martin Hanzal only to find out these players are at the finish line. But then, once in awhile, you spend your money on a 35-year-old Joe Pavelski and cross your fingers.
Three years since Stars GM Jim Nill made the decision of Pavelski over Mats Zuccarello while the San Jose Sharks were going with Evander Kane over Pavelski, you can declare Dallas the winner. Not that Zuccarello isn’t a fine player for Minnesota, but Pavelski is the only Dallas player in Las Vegas for this weekend’s All-Star Game. When you’re doing that at 37, you’re defying the odds, even after a splendid 16-year career.
Pavelski made three All-Star teams with the Sharks (all in his 30s) but could have been viewed as nearing the end in 2019 when he was a minus player for the first time in his career. The Stars didn’t want to sacrifice the draft pick it would cost to keep Zuccarello, who had enjoyed a fine run in their two playoff rounds that spring, along with the extra year he was seeking.
