Sharks rookie Eklund is showing he belongs in the NHL. But here’s why his stay might end soon

SAN JOSE – It took San Jose Sharks winger William Eklund a little time to get used to the North American professional game after he started the season in the AHL.

Now that he’s with the big club, it looks like he deserves to stay, as he scored his second goal in as many games Thursday in the Sharks’ 2-1 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken at SAP Center.

Besides his goal, Eklund also had 20:40 of ice time and was credited with three shots on net, three blocked shots, and two hits.

“Honestly, ever since I saw him for the first time, I thought, ‘this kid is special,’” Sharks goalie James Reimer said of Eklund. “Just the way he plays, the way he sees the ice, the way he can move. He’s just a little water bug out there.”

Salary cap management, though, could soon end Eklund’s brief run in the NHL.

Per the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and as worded by CapFriendly, a player who is signed to an ELC at 18 or 19 (as of Sept. 15 of the signing year), and does not play in a minimum of 10 NHL games, can have their contracts slide, or extended, into the following year.

Since Eklund signed his entry-level contract when he was 18, and he only played nine NHL games last year, his contract can slide for two seasons. Games in the AHL do not count for entry-level contract purposes.

So if Eklund, 20, is returned to the AHL before he plays a 10th NHL game this season, his three-year entry-level contract will not expire until after the 2025-2026 season.

Returning Eklund to the Barracuda certainly would make financial sense for the Sharks, as his salary cap hit, per CapFriendly, would remain below $900,000 at least until the 2025-2026 season.

Presuming Eklund remains a top-six forward once he becomes a full-time Sharks player next season, his second NHL contract figures to be much more lucrative than his ELC.

Sharks management also wants to see the Barracuda and its cadre of young players experience playoff hockey at the minor-league level, and having Eklund on that team would certainly help in that endeavor.

Going into Friday, the Barracuda was one point out of the seventh and final playoff spot in the AHL’s Pacific Division, and after a slow start, Eklund, in his first full season of North American professional hockey, had 30 points in his final 39 games before his NHL recall on March 3.

No doubt, though, Eklund has hit his stride after a bit of a slow start with the Sharks earlier this month, and is exceeding expectations right now.

“If he keeps playing the way he plays, he deserves to be here right now,” Reimer said of Eklund. “I have no reason to believe that that’s going to change.”

Eklund’s goal came on a penalty shot. After he was hooked on a breakaway chance by Ryan Donato, Eklund came in slowly on Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer and beat him five-hole to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead at the 1:18 mark of the third period.

After he scored, Eklund exhorted the crowd.

“I just wanted everybody to celebrate,” Eklund said.

A moment for Eklund’s FIRST penalty shot goal plz @Williameklund72 | #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/ngDCnjjdbl

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 17, 2023

With the goal, Eklund became the second-youngest player in Sharks history to score on a penalty shot, with Jeff Friesen scoring one on Dec. 2, 1995, when he was 19. But Eklund also helped kill penalties, and his line with Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc, per Natural Stat Trick, badly out-chanced the Kraken whenever they were on the ice together during 5-on-5 play.

“You can see his growth not only since he’s been up here, but throughout the season and certainly from last year,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “So, 20 years old, just really happy and impressed with the way he’s playing.”

“He’s just going to get better as he gains confidence and gains an understanding of the game, how to play the game, when there are opportunities and when there’s not and when, more and more, to trust his instincts,” Reimer said. “He’s got some incredible God-given talent, so, the more experience he gets, the better he’s going to be.

“Really, really happy with his game, and hopefully he keeps growing here until the end of the year.”

The Sharks have 13 games left, starting with Saturday’s date with the New York Islanders that closes out a three-game homestand. That would be Eklund’s eighth game. The Sharks then start a three-game road trip Monday in Edmonton.

The Sharks could bring Eklund on the trip, which also includes stops in Vancouver and Calgary, and just make sure he doesn’t play two games if they didn’t want to burn the first year of his ELC. Or they could simply return him to the Barracuda after the Islanders game.

So what’s going to happen?

“That’s a question for above me,” Quinn said. “He’s certainly making a case (to stay). “Whether it will happen or not, it’s out of my hands.”