Former San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski has had quite the career, but is he headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame?
In the seventh round of the 2003 NHL Draft, the San Jose Sharks selected center Joe Pavelski.
Pavelski will enter his 18th NHL season next season and his fifth with the Dallas Stars. The Wisconsin native has played 1250 NHL regular season games and 182 playoff games.
Longevity alone won't get Pavelski into the HOF, and I do think his path to Toronto is very hard, considering he is still searching for his first Stanley Cup.
Pavelski is often nicknamed "Captain America" for his role with Team USA throughout the years.
Pavelski has played 20 games for Team USA. He has played in the Olympics twice, IIHF World Championship once, and was the captain USA during the World Cup of Hockey.
Pavs has 12 points while playing for the U.S., including three goals.
Getting back to his NHL accolades, Pavelski has been selected to the All-Star Game three times.
Pavelski owns a Silver Medal for his Olympics in 2010, but I do feel he lacks some solo accolades to get him into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Pavelski has 1001 career points and is signed with Dallas for another season. I do believe there is still time for him to get in, as Dallas showed this season that they are a perennial cup winner.
I think if Pavelski can have a similar playoff run and the same kind of success as he did this postseason, a Conn Smythe Trophy could be just what gets him into the HOF.
This postseason, Pavelski shined with nine goals and five assists in 14 games. This also included a four-goal game against the Seattle Kraken in game one of the second round.
In short, do I think Pavelski is a HOFer at this moment? No. But he is a well-known and well-liked player throughout the NHL, but I feel he is lacking some of the personal accolades to get him in.