Pavelski2112
Bold as Boognish
Was disappointed at first, but considering how Dahlen came back after spending a good amount of time in Europe, I'm not terribly worried.
Prospect Info: Sharks Select William Eklund at 7th Overall *Update* returned to Djurgarden
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Karl Prime
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- Feb 13, 2017
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I think at the end of the day it will be a good thing for him. He'll likely get 19+ minutes a game, work on the finer details of his craft, improve his shot, get stronger, fitter, faster. He showed a lot of good things in his 9 games. His vision and skill are amazing but he only took 8 shots in 9 games and a top 6 forward needs to shoot more than that even if they are a playmaker first.
The kid's going to be special very soon and I can't wait to witness it.
The kid's going to be special very soon and I can't wait to witness it.
There isn't a real way to mess this up. Eklund is at a stage where he can benefit anywhere and it's obvious what the player wants so there's no sense worrying about it. This is being made more important than it really is.
PacificOceanPotion
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- Jun 19, 2009
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Well, I think it's being made what it is because regardless if people really want to admit it or not, we want to win, and we want to compete, and he gives us that chance when hes in the lineup. With that being said, things have plateau'd a tad bit and as someone else pointed out, when some of our top 6 guys come back, his minutes and special teams opportunities will shrink. In Sweden, he'll get all of that, plus WJC's.
Djurgården have serious issues this season. This one of the more classical teams in Sweden (from Stockholm). If Djurgården gets relegated after the season it's big shocking news in Sweden. We will see what happens. If William somehow helps Djurgården and turning this around he will become a god among the fans, that's for sure, it would be huge. This is a lot to ask for a young guy like William though, he would have to be on fire. Djurgården have wild fans *LoL*
Edit: For William, worst case scenario: First getting sent to Sweden to a Djurgården (the team looking awful) and then following through an extremely humiliating relegation phase with tons of preassure from the press and crazy upset fans, perhaps not optimal................. ?
AHL would have been much better for William.
San Jose Sharks have more connections to Djurgården. Douglas Murray played for them but Murray's Swedish mother is a daughter of Lars Björn. Lars Björn is a legend in Djurgården, huge (and he was tough just like Douglas).
The fans (Djurgården):
Besides this game, things has been looking better since Barry Smith (former coach) walked though. I think they were mainly gassed and the 12 days break is coming in handy. With the insanse amount of injuries they have had to rely heavily on a few number of players for the last weeks. If these guys can return and stay healthy + with the addition of William hopefully the team will only look up. Third and fourth line has been juniors and players who really should be loaned to a lower division and 3 of their 6 regular defensemen has been missing too
Speaking of Douglas Murray's grandfather Lasse Björn he is possibly the biggest legend ever in Djurgården. Selected as #2 into Djurgården's hall of fame only after the founder.
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Alwalys
Phu m.
- May 19, 2010
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DW said that all the rookies have an equal shot at making the team. He repeated that quite a few times. I guess I missed the asterisk that excluded Eklund?
That pushes out his ELC one more year. That likely represents big bucks for this young rookie down the road. It also exposes him to injury with less pay/benefits.
For you guys that said it's best for him to bulk up down below the NHL to prevent injury. But have any of you seen Merkley? That guy has to be the smallest defenseman in the NHL right now. He is far from being a big guy. He's not even average, imo.
That pushes out his ELC one more year. That likely represents big bucks for this young rookie down the road. It also exposes him to injury with less pay/benefits.
For you guys that said it's best for him to bulk up down below the NHL to prevent injury. But have any of you seen Merkley? That guy has to be the smallest defenseman in the NHL right now. He is far from being a big guy. He's not even average, imo.
WSS11
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- Oct 7, 2009
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themelkman
Always Delivers
Yeah but Merkley is done growing and without covid, he would still be working on his game in the AHL. Its not all about size, its maturity also. Eklund is a really smart mature player, but age always develops more in young players.
Eklund needs to add some mass. I am legit scared for him out there. He does a good job avoiding hits, but honestly, it only takes one. Dude would be legit dead in a playoff series.
sharks_dynasty
Registered User
Keep in mind that Labanc and Meier are out at the moment. I see Bonino at wing as temporary.
one2gamble
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- Dec 24, 2007
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The problem is you would have been better off leaving bonino where he was and letting rookies with more offensive potential play wing.
They treated these games as must wins but they should have rolled lines better and wrote them off
Or more likely Eklund was given that opportunity but did not do what was needed to secure a roster slot. He had some notable moments but his skill ultimately did not contribute to offensive production at a significant rate (9 games - 0 goals/1 primary assist/3 secondary assists, 9th in P/GP among forwards, just ahead of Weatherby). He was also pretty tentative with physical play at various points. Add to that the inevitable wall that most rookies hit at some point in the season which I am sure the Shark's staff is projecting but most fans fail to consider, I don't think sending him down should be controversial.
If anyone has an informed perspective on this, it would be Jonathan Dahlen. His comments suggested he believed this would ultimately be a good move for Eklund's development. It seems to have worked out pretty well for him.
On the Merkley comparison, one needs to mindful that he is 21 and since being drafted has had a couple of off seasons to bulk up for the rigors of the NHL whereas Eklund just turned 19 and hasn't. You can't just compare height and weight in a vacuum to determine a player's ability to withstand the rigors of the NHL.
Jargon
Registered User
Can we turn eventually turn this thread into How Our Little Eklund’s Doing in Sweden thread? I feel like we love him too much to track his results solely through the prospects thread…
While that is a good point, it's still concerning that the coaching staff feels more comfortable moving Weatherby to 3C, when he certainly isn't at that level, so that Bonino could play wing. Bonino was signed to solidify the 3rd line and they have enough wingers around on the Cuda, that it's concerning they would choose to move Bonino off the third line instead of trying Leonard or Gregor or even Gadjovich or Nick Merkley up there.
Alwalys
Phu m.
- May 19, 2010
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Personally I think Bonino did better on the top wing than Leonard, Gad or Gregor would have. N Merkley not sure, dude shows some flashes
YUPPY 2 7 10 11
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- Oct 5, 2020
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I honestly think, since they sent Eklund down, I want the sharks to compete for every game, but lose every game as they did in the Devils game except for they got a point. Losing the game without getting a point is best. It's the race to the bottom with Arizona who has only 3 points. I am rooting for the sharks to lose every game this season and I'm rooting for Arizona or any team on the very bottom to win. It's the Wright way to play this season.
Pavelski2112
Bold as Boognish
No one's catching Arizona this year. Their tank is glorious and a marvel of the modern salary cap era.
disclaimerDear Jon [Dahlen],
How are things going in San Jose? My time here at Djurgarden is going swimmingly. We're on a crazy win streak and I'm racking up goals and assists like it's no one's business. Well, it is actually the Sharks' business because I've noticed the PP is still terrible, the zone entry is beer league, and no one can score without tipping a puck in. But hey, that's their choice and I do have things to work on.
Anyway, I've been hitting the gym and fighting relegation like you told me. I'm also getting better with my faceoffs. Marcus [Sorensen] is my go-to scorer. He's a beast in the SHL. What's funny is that he told me the Sharks were DMing him to be my private Sharks tutor. We just laughed, had a couple rounds, sang "Baby Shark" at karaoke, and played poker with the mates.
Your #1 Sharks Prospect,
Will
Crazy Joe Divola
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- Jun 20, 2009
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I’m fine with him going down. He showed flashes of brilliance but he doesn’t seem ready to hang with the big boys yet. Next year maybe.
Yea like he could technically play but he wasn't killing it by any means
LadyStanley
Registered User
Le Grand Quebecois
Registered User
Sending him back to Sweden is certainly the best move for him. It's disappointing and playing for the Sharks, he's gonna have to get used to that kind of disappointment.
He is back practicing with the team starting tomorrow. The SHL has a national team break and the games are back next thursday the 18th. So we all have to be a little patient
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