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San Jose Sharks Winger Looks to Bounce Back After Line Demotion

by

William Eklund

The San Jose Sharks have found themselves back on a losing streak. Along with struggling to find a win, William Eklund has been struggling to make a positive impact on the ice for his team. Essentially, forcing him to fall further down the line. 

San Jose Sharks Mid-Game Line Demotion

Eklund, the seventh overall pick for San Jose in the 2021 NHL Draft, has found himself demoted from the second line to the fourth line. Lately, he has struggled to put up any points or even make an impact on the team. 

The young forward has found himself down on the fourth line of the Sharks. The winger was playing on the second line among Fabian Zetterelund and Alexandar Wennberg . He then found himself moved to the third line with Nico Strum and Carl Grundstrom . 

While rookie centre Macklin Celebrini was out due to injury . Eklund played alongside Tyler Toffoli and Mikael Granlund , and their line saw success. Both Granlund and Toffoli are the top-two point-leaders for the Sharks, whereas many of their goals were assisted by Eklund.

“Impact of the game, somehow, someway.”- Ryan Warsofsky

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky was interviewed by NBC Sports after their 5-2 loss against the Minnesota Wild . “Need more from Eky. Impact the game. Somehow. Someway. He knows that. We’ve talked about it. We’re going to continue to work with him [and] help him get through this.”

The Eklund on the ice against the Wild was not the Eklund that started the season off strong.  During 15 minutes on the ice, he never recorded a single shot on goal. During two minutes of powerplay time, he didn’t perform like he should of and got zero points.

During the game against the Wild, he seemed to be more defensive than offensive when on the ice. 

Overview of Eklund’s Performance The Last Few Games

In the last six games, Eklund has one assist and one goal. Eklund assisted Granlund’s goal, helping the team find a win over the Utah Hockey Club on October 28. This was San Jose’s first win of the season. He then scored the last goal against the Los Angeles Kings on October 29, once again helping the Sharks find another win. 

Since then, Eklund has yet to make any contributing progress. He has had multiple scoring chances and has not cashed in on them like he should.

Eklund has played in 15 of the season games where he has nine points (two goals, seven assists). He missed one game and had been dealing with a previous injury. However, he has been a strong player for the Sharks, making plays, handling the puck well and taking the scoring chances. 

Eklund’s Play and Expectations Going Forward

It has been expected that Eklund would have a breakout year based on his performance last year. In the 2023-24 season, Eklund played 80 games where he recorded 16 goals and 29 assists. Within the first eight games of this current season, he had an outstanding average of ice time. This amounted to roughly 21 minutes compared to the 18 minutes he averaged last year. That extra time on the ice was essential to the Sharks.

The Sharks started their East Coast road trip this week. They faced the New Jersey Devils . However, they still have games with the Philadelphia Flyers , New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins . San Jose needs Eklund to focus on his playmaking abilities and his offensive play to help them find victory on this road trip. 

Main photo by: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

The post San Jose Sharks Winger Looks to Bounce Back After Line Demotion appeared first on Last Word On Hockey .