"Things can change in a hurry," he told the newspaper. "The discussions are kind of going on right now and we'll see how they work out. But definitely optimistic. Definitely love it there and we'll see where it goes."
Selected by San Jose in the seventh round (No. 205) of the 2003 NHL Draft, Pavelski has 761 points (355 goals, 406 assists) in 963 regular-season games (13 seasons) and 100 points (48 goals, 52 assists) in 134 playoff games.
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Pavelski, who was named Sharks captain Oct. 5, 2015, is a five-time 30-goal scorer and a 10-time 20-goal scorer. He ranks fourth in games played, second in goals, third in assists and third in points in Sharks history.
"He's our captain. He's our leader. He's a really hard guy to replace, borderline irreplaceable," San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said June 21. "So I'm hopeful. I don't play a role in that. There's a lot of different things that go into those decisions both for him and the team, but I'm hopeful and I think he wants to be back, so that gives me optimism."
Sharks forward Joe Thornton also can become an unrestricted free agent. Defenseman Erik Karlsson avoided becoming a free agent by signing an eight-year contract with San Jose on June 17.
