Two summers ago, the San Jose Sharks had this dance with two cornerstone veterans.



One stayed and one left.



Joe Thornton thought long and hard about Toronto’s interest but decided he couldn’t leave the Sharks. Patrick Marleau got the third year on his contract with the Maple Leafs that the Sharks wouldn’t offer and was intrigued by the young, talented squad in Toronto. So he jumped at the chance.



Now it’s Joe Pavelski’s turn to swallow hard and make a big career decision. The Sharks captain is entering the UFA speaking period for the first time in his sparkling career and the phone rang off the hook for agent Dan Plante on Sunday.



There are visits set up for Pavelski this week with a couple of teams.



“It’s been fascinating and interesting so far,’’ Pavelski, 34, said. “We’ll go check out a few teams.’’



But certainly, the door remains open for a return to...