Something very strange will happen Saturday night in San Jose.
Joe Pavelski will take the ice at SAP Center in a sweater other than the Sharks.
After 13 seasons with the Sharks and four as the captain, Pavelski signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Dallas Stars last offseason. On Saturday, he will face his former team for the first time and he knows the whole situation will be ... different.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE "I think it'll be weird," Pavelski said, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "Probably seeing the jersey will be the hardest part. It'll be awkward in a lot of ways."
It was hard for the Sharks to part with Pavelski, but the numbers weren't going to work for general manager Doug Wilson considering all the other contracts the Sharks had on the books.
Still, Pavelski didn't expect to leave the only team he had ever known.
"I always had a feeling that something would probably work out," Pavelski said. "Until it didn't, I didn't have any reason to think it wouldn't."
San Jose Sharks
Find the latest San Jose Sharks news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
The two sides weren't able to keep their marriage going and Pavelski moved on to a new team.
[RELATED: Pavelski believes Sharks will bounce back]
After years of trying to help the Sharks win games, Pavelski returns to The Tank trying to hand his former team a loss.
That certainly will be weird.