William Eklund is going to be with the San Jose Sharks…for some time. And hopefully, a long time after that.
Eklund signed a three-year extension for $16.8 million ($5.6 million AAV) on the first day that he was eligible. This extension will kick off for the 2026-27 season.
Eklund and the San Jose Sharks, however, are foregoing a chance to sign a max eight-year extension. Maximum contract lengths are dropping with the new CBA, seven years for your own free agents and six for outside FA’s. The new CBA also begins in 2026-27.
Eklund discussed his extension today, why three years, the kind of player that he wants to be at the end of this contract, and sharing the moment with ex-Shark and best friend Fabian Zetterlund.
William Eklund, on what made a three-year term right for him and the San Jose Sharks:
I think for both parts, we wanted to see an extension here, and we wanted to see it before next year. I think it worked out pretty well. We both want to keep this thing going forward and keep getting better, so I think it worked out pretty well for both parts.
Eklund, on what it meant for Mike Grier to say they wanted to get him signed as soon as possible:
It’s something that I’ve been working for for a long time. I think it shows a lot that we wanted to make this a done deal pretty early, and we got it done as fast as possible. I think that shows that Mike and the staff believe in me and I believe in them. I’m very happy.
Eklund, on if holding off on signing a long-term contract had anything to do with the rising cap:
To be honest, I hadn’t really thought that much about it. Maybe down the years, I’ll think about it more, but it’s nothing I think about right now. I’m just happy I’m here and happy I signed my extension here with the Sharks. I’m ready to go ahead and get some wins now.
Eklund, on whether it was clear all along that the San Jose Sharks wanted him to stay:
It’s been pretty clear, I think, from both parts. They obviously want to build something here, and I want to be a part of it. It’s been good talks all year round. I think we had a good vision of what we want to do here with the Sharks.
Eklund, on the vision for the Sharks these next few years:
I think next year, this season coming up, I think we need to be way closer to the playoffs. We want to push to that playoff spot, we want to be in that race, we want to be there. For that to happen, we need everybody to be on board. For the next few years here, it’s coming. I want us to be a playoff team, I want us to pick up, so that’s my goal.
Eklund, on what kind of player he wants to be at the end of this contract in 2029:
I want to be a leader. I want to be a guy that’s reliable in all zones. I want to be even better at the things I do right now. For my team, I want to be there every night and be a guy they can count on.
Eklund, on how important it was to get this contract done quickly:
Different types of things go into that. I wanted to have this done because I felt like I wanted to stay here. I want to show to the fans and to Mike and those guys that I wanted to stay here. I think he wanted the same. As I said before, I think both parties were happy with this deal, and we’re going to take it from here and be a little happy for the future.
Eklund, on how important it is to stay with the San Jose Sharks long-term in the future:
It’s really important. When you get drafted from a team, you get a special bond there. From the beginning, they believed in me, they gave me chances. I’m happy that this happened right now, and once again, I’m happy for the future.
Eklund, on what he wants to work on this summer:
Everything, to be honest. Our team has to win games, that’s my main thing. I gotta try to look at the things I can do and to make our team win more games, even if that’s scoring more, or if it’s being better at the PK or stuff like that. It’s time for a lot of guys to take those roles and to step up. Our young core is getting better and better here.
Eklund, on when the deal got done or if a longer term was on the table:
I don’t want to go too much into that, to be honest. It’s something I’ll keep between myself and Mike, but yeah, we both wanted [this signed contract] to happen.
Eklund, on what conversations were had with Grier about the team’s improvement:
I think it’s all across the [organization]. We need our immediate team to be really committed to winning. Winning has to matter the most, to be honest. It has to be a thing that we strive for every day. I think that’s the culture you want to bring to everybody coming in and coming into camp as well. We want to win, everybody’s competing against one another, and it’s going to be hard out there—you got to fight for your spot, but it’s a good thing.
Eklund, on whether he’s looking forward to see what happens next year with the roster changes:
I’m really looking forward to it. I’m really excited to spend time with [the new San Jose Sharks players].
Eklund, on his draft experience and watching his brother get picked:
It was really cool, to be honest. I wasn’t able to experience being there and seeing it live, so it was really cool. He enjoyed it, I enjoyed it, my family enjoyed it, so we had a great time, and I’m happy for him. Long Island is getting a great player.
Eklund, on whether he’s heard from anyone since re-signing:
Just congratulating me. They’re all happy and my family’s happy too.
I got a text [from Fabian Zetterlund] this morning, actually. He was pumped, he’s always happy. I’m gonna go see him when I get back home.
Watch the full interview here