Dellandrea on What Pavelski Means to Him, Excited for Opportunity With Sharks

For Ty Dellandrea, seeing Joe Pavelski retire after losing in the Western Conference Finals was “devastating.”

The former San Jose Sharks captain mentored the newest Shark both on-and-off ice throughout his young career. For the 2018 Dallas Stars’ first-round pick, who potted two goals and nine points in 42 games last season, Pavelski has helped him again in his upcoming transition to San Jose, giving him real estate tips and more.

Dellandrea, after a solid 2022-23, failed to solidify himself as a full-time NHL’er, playing in only 42 regular season games and six playoff games in the Stars’ run to the Western Conference Finals. With the San Jose Sharks, Dellandrea will join a revamped bottom-six forward group that could include Alex Wennberg, Barclay Goodrow, Carl Grundstrom, and himself joining incumbents Nico Sturm and Luke Kunin.

“I’m really excited to get going and make the most of this opportunity,” Dellandrea said in his introductory availability.

He talked more about Pavelski’s impact and his struggles last year.

Dellandrea, on the impact Pavelski has had on his career:

So much, honestly. [It’s] hard to pick a few things. He’s an ‘every-dayer’, shows up with a smile on his face and goes to work. I learned a lot from just how he handles himself on a day to day. [Pavelski] is one of the greatest teammates I’ve played with so far in my career. I really enjoyed that part about him. The way he balances the enjoyment of the game and playing every day, but also how he approaches it from working hard and finding parts of his game he needs to improve on. He took me aside a lot and we did different things together and he’s helped me get to where I am today.

Dellandrea, on Pavelski and the Stars’ playoff exit:

It was devastating. There’s no better guy to fight for or give everything you have to help him accomplish his goal — all of our goals. We gave everything we had for him and we knew what was around the corner and had a bit of extra juice for that reason in particular. Easy guy to fight for. You want to win, you want him to go to the Final, give him another chance. We came up short and it hurt losing in general. But it hurt knowing that Joe had to go out on that note.

Dellandrea, on when the team knew that Pavelski would retire this offseason:

I think it just felt a little different than years past. Then, somewhere along in playoffs, he would have some conversations with us about that. Everybody knew. But, it was something that we could rally around.

Dellandrea on the tough situation he faced in Dallas, going from an everyday player to a regular healthy scratch:

It was hard. It was really hard. Tough to grow your game and feel like you’re improving as a younger player and working through that. I think I learned a lot. I learned a lot about my game and what I need to improve to be an everyday player and help teams win. So, it was tough, but I grew a lot through it. I think in the long run I’ll take stuff with me from that experience and be better off.

Dellandrea, on the things he needs to improve to earn a regular spot in the lineup:

I think consistency. You’ve got to show up every day and do it over and over, game-in and game-out. Producing, helping the team produce, even in my role — wherever that may be. There’s lots of things, but that’s two of them that stand out to me.

Dellandrea, on whether he expected to be dealt this offseason:

There was talks at the end-of-year meetings. Felt they weren’t open to the idea of having me back. So, we had some talks about that, and it happened… We had our concerns about what the situation would have been next year and then I was traded.

Dellandrea, on communication he’s had with new San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky:

He called me pretty quickly after I got traded and we had a good conversation. Just talked on the phone about the trade, San Jose, the opportunity, their excitement, my excitement. It was good to talk to him and get familiar with him.

Dellandrea, on how his game looks at his best:

When I’m playing my best, it’s a combination of compete and pressure. Whether that be forechecking, [defensive] zone. I like to play fast. When I’m playing my best, it’s creating a lot of turnovers, winning a lot of forecheck races, finding others. So, there’s elements I want to add and grow into my game. But when I’m playing my best, that’s what I feel like.

See the full Dellandrea interview here