Sharks sign William Eklund to three-year extension

The San Jose Sharks have signed winger William Eklund to a three-year contract extension with a $5.6 million cap hit.

Eklund was entering the final year of his three-year entry-level contract that had slid for two additional years, and was set to become a restricted free agent next offseason. The Sharks jump the gun with get Eklund’s extension out of the way after the best season so far in his career, while Eklund still leaves the door open for a bigger pay day by only signing a bridge deal.

There are no signing bonuses or no move/trade clauses that come with this contract.

Eklund gets locked in at 5.38% of the salary cap, and is signed until he’s 26 where he’ll be an RFA yet again. His closest cap hit comparables will be Andrew Copp and Vincent Trocheck, who come in at $5.625 million cap hits.

Eklund took another step forward in 2024-25, where he had 17 goals and 41 assists for 58 points in 77 games played. All three numbers were career highs, although it should be no surprise when it’s only his second full season.

Eklund was the seventh-overall pick for the Sharks in the 2021 NHL Draft out of the Swedish Hockey League. After two stints with the Sharks under 10 games in 2021-22 and 2022-23, he had his first full-time season in the NHL in 2023-24.

Eklund’s extension is the first move of note by the Sharks this summer, with the only other player on their NHL roster that has gotten an extension was defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin. They’ll need to spend some money though, as they currently have over $44 million in salary cap space with only five restricted free agents left to sign, and only Thomas Bordeleau and Jack Thompson on their NHL roster.