What began as a remote chance is now looking more and more plausible with each passing preseason game. William Eklund, the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft, is a real possibility — and probably a likelihood — to be in the opening-night lineup when the Sharks host the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 16.
Eklund, who turns 19 years old four days before the season opener, was impressive once again in the Sharks’ 3-2 shootout loss to Anaheim at SAP Center on Monday. Playing on a line for most of the evening with Tomas Hertl and Alexander Barabanov, Eklund showed more of the stuff that’s made him stand out to the coaching staff, his teammates, and anyone else that’s been watching.
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There’s his skill and confidence in the open ice, such as when he did a 360° spin move around Hampus Lindholm before lifting a backhand towards the net. His quick hands and vision, like when he immediately and deceptively shuffled the puck to Hertl at the front of the net on a Sharks power play. His on-ice awareness and speed shined as he burst past defenseman Greg Pateryn before getting off a shot on a partial breakaway.
Eklund finished the night with one assist, his team-leading fifth of the preseason, along with five shots on goal and a team-leading eight attempts in 19 minutes and 27 seconds of ice time — tops among forwards.
“I think this kid is going to be great,” texted one scout who’s witnessed a couple of Eklund’s preseason performances. “Not sure if he is quite ready for a full season but I was really impressed in the games I saw him play.”
Erik Karlsson said: “I think he’s a cool, calm and collected kid. He sits quiet mostly in the room and listens to other guys talk and shoot the shit. I think for the most part everybody knows that he seems very mature for his age and he’s willing to do what it takes to be a player in this league. Hopefully, we have the team that can (ease the growing) pains with being a young player, and be integrated into the NHL.”
What helps Eklund’s cause is that the Sharks lack true playmakers up front, particularly with Evander Kane’s absence, which is likely to continue well into the regular season at the very least. That was reflected both in their paltry five-on-five and power play numbers last season, as the Sharks finished 29th in the league with just a 14.1 percent success rate.
“You look at our lineup, injecting more skill in there is important,” coach Bob Boughner said on Monday morning. “We have a lot of good two-way players and I think we could never have enough skill. And (Eklund is) a guy — and I’ve talked about it the last couple years — something we need to improve on is our power play, that’s something he could help on.”
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Eklund saw plenty of power-play time on Monday night, including one prolonged and dangerous-looking shift on a four-on-three opportunity with Hertl, Karlsson and Brent Burns. The Sharks’ power play was effective all night with 13 total shots on four opportunities, and although Eklund wasn’t a part of their one power play goal by Logan Couture, he continued to show that he may already be the team’s most dangerous playmaker when he has time and space.
“You have to be ready because on power play he will look maybe (to) pass to (Karlsson, but) maybe he’ll go for me for (a) high tip,” Hertl said. “He’s the type of player who can do that.”
Karlsson said: “You give him time and space, you can tell that he’s got a good head on him and he can find good areas out there. You just hope that he grows into that role, and that’s the player that he’s going to be eventually.”
Whether the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Eklund is physically strong enough to withstand the rigors of an 82-game NHL season is impossible to predict at this point. Thriving in the preseason hardly means Eklund will be able to replicate that game consistently enough in the regular season to stick around. But at the very least, it appears he’ll get his first taste of NHL action later this month, and the Sharks can decide in those first few weeks whether it’s worth burning off a year of Eklund’s contract by letting him play 10 games or more, as the league rules dictate.
While the Sharks will likely be careful not to rush him, keeping Eklund around for that first road trip, allowing him to get a taste of playing in places like Montreal, Toronto and Boston might not be the worst thing for him. If he can keep up, great. If he starts to wear down or struggles, then it’s back to the Swedish Elite League.
“That is the luxury you have with a guy like him. You have those nine games to make that decision,” Boughner said in the morning. “But I don’t want him under the gun, that he’s got to do something and light it up for nine games. I want him to just go out and play hard, have fun and be himself. If he’s here for the puck drop against Winnipeg on Saturday night, that’s a huge, huge feather in his cap. But we’ll see how the next couple games go, and obviously it’s a decision by the whole organization.”
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Karlsson offered a reminder that “once the puck drops on Oct. 16, it’s going to be a little bit different (pace) than it is now.”
Eklund isn’t the only young player that’s pushing for a spot. Jonathan Dahlen continued to make plays all over the ice on Monday, including setting up the power-play goal with a seam pass to Timo Meier for a one-timer that resulted in Couture’s marker when he swiped in a loose puck in the crease.
“There’s some great offensive instincts to his game,” Boughner said of Dahlen. “He works hard away from the puck. … Starting to see some versatility in his game, as well.”
Dahlen is almost certainly going to be in against the Jets, as he’s been in the team’s top six since the first day of camp.
Fourth-liners Adam Raska and Jasper Weatherby each played significant minutes on Monday, too, and each showed an ability to play that pest-like game that has been lacking in San Jose in recent seasons. In one sequence, Raska followed up his shot on John Gibson with an aggressive pokecheck on the goalie that Gibson’s teammates didn’t appreciate, sparking a scrum. Later, Weatherby got in front of the goalie and was called for a post-whistle slash, prompting Gibson to deck him with his gloved hand.
It’s possible that both of those guys will make the team, too.
Boughner has consistently praised the 23-year-old Weatherby since seeing him at the rookie tournament in Arizona last month, and it would be mildly surprising if the University of North Dakota product wasn’t the fourth-line center against the Jets. The coach had no problem with Weatherby’s interaction with Gibson, saying that it only occurred because Weatherby was “standing exactly where I want him to be” in front of the net on a Sharks power play.
As for Raska, who at times has looked like a human bowling ball on the ice, Boughner was equally impressed with the 20-year-old’s all-around game and work ethic.
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“A guy that just plays within himself every night and knows how he needs to play to have success, and he’s done that,” Boughner said. “You look around our division and our conference, every team’s got some grit and sandpaper. If you look at our team, it’s something that maybe at times we had last year (but) didn’t have it consistently. And I like his game five-on-five. I think he’s an effective player, good on the wall, and he’s a guy that’s going to make another tough decision for us because he does supply that identity to that bottom part of our lineup.”
On defense, Santeri Hatakka, who has also been a recipient of consistent praise from Boughner, was paired with Marc-Edouard Vlasic. He could be the frontrunner to take up the vacant roster spot on defense while Nikolai Knyzhov recovers from an undisclosed injury. Lane Pederson, meanwhile, played on the right wing on Monday night and hit the cross bar with a shot attempt in the third period while managing three shots on goal for the game.
Saturday’s preseason finale against the Golden Knights could very well be the lineup the Sharks plan on going with for the first game that counts. They are off on Tuesday, and it’s likely their group will be smaller by the time they reconvene for practice on Wednesday.
On Monday morning, Boughner was asked if some veterans should perhaps be looking over their shoulders.
“Absolutely. To me, this team isn’t made yet,” he said. “That isn’t to say I’m trying to rule with an iron fist. It is what it is. We still have decisions (to make) and some young guys are definitely making a case for themselves. We can’t just go on past equity we have with certain players. We’re looking to improve. We weren’t a playoff team last year and our goal is to be a playoff team this year. In order to do that we have to have this competition…and see who takes advantage of it.”
The game against the Ducks only reinforced the notion that certain young players could be primed to bump other more experienced guys out.
“Decisions are becoming harder and harder,” Boughner said afterward. “And good for them. That’s what we’ve asked.”
(Photo: Kavin Mistry / NHLI via Getty Images)
