Sharks owner Plattner regrets trading Norris, pick for Stutzle, not keeping Pavelski
Very rarely do we see owners openly admit mistakes, but we got just that from San Jose Sharks owner Hasso Plattner on Thursday.
For the first time in several years, Plattner spoke with the media on Thursday as the Sharks were opening their season against the Vegas Golden Knights, and he was very candid while reflecting on some of the moves that he regrets from the past.
Hasso: “One mistake I want to share with you was that Stutzle and Norris were let go or not acquired in the draft. Think about the last three years, with Stutzle and Norris the team would have been a different team.”
Also admitted it was a mistake to not keep Joe Pavelski on…
“One mistake I want to share with you was that Stutzle and Norris were let go or not acquired in the draft,” said Plattner. “Think about the last three years, with Stutzle and Norris the team would have been a different team.”
Norris was originally a 19th-overall pick by the Sharks in the 2017 draft and had only been in the Sharks’ system for a year before he was dealt to the Ottawa Senators as part of the return for Erik Karlsson in 2018. He’s since gone on to put up 91 goal and 67 assists for 158 points in 240 games as he enters his seventh season in the league. The Senators traded him to the Buffalo Sabres at the 2025 trade deadline as part of the return for Dylan Cozens.
Also included in that trade for Karlsson was a conditional 2019 first-round pick which, because the Sharks had made the playoffs in 2019, became a 2020 first-round pick. The Sharks went 29-36-5 in the 2019-20 season and finished with the third-worst record in the league, meaning the Senators were getting a top pick in the draft with that selection, along with their own top-five pick.
The Sharks’ pick won the third-overall selection in the lottery, which the Senators then used to select Tim Stutzle. He has since gone on to become a key player in the Senators rebuild and their return to the playoffs last season. Entering his sixth season, he has 115 goals and 212 assists for 327 points in 368 games.
Another move Plattner mentioned regretting was not keeping Joe Pavelski on the Sharks. Pavelski had spent 13 seasons and 963 games with the Sharks, including the final four as captain of the team, before they ultimately decided to let him walk to free agency. Pavelski played five more seasons with the Dallas Stars before retiring.