San Jose Hockey Now is reporting that Eklund and the Sharks are mutually interested in reaching an extension this summer. While there is no word on any specific details in terms of the contract, in the same report, his agent, Todd Diamond, had this to say, “William is happy in San Jose and excited for the future of the club,”
Regarding Eklund’s next contract, two comparable extensions from the 2021 draft class stand out on long-term deals: Matt Coranoto’s worth 6.5 million a season and Dylan Guenther’s worth 7.14 million a season. Both players are from the same draft class as Eklund.
Eklund is a more proven scorer at the NHL level than Coranoto, who had a career-high 47 points this past season in his first full NHL season. This was below Eklund’s 58-point sophomore campaign, so it's reasonable to expect Eklund to eclipse the Coranoto contract.
Dylan Guenther's extension was signed last offseason after scoring 35 points in 45 games, a much smaller sample size but a higher scoring pace than Eklund. Guenther is also a much better goal scorer than Eklund, which raises his overall value slightly more than a playmaker like Eklund. Still, this deal had a lot more risk, given Guenther, at the time, had played just 78 career games at the time of the agreement, and the Cap had yet to rise. This, in mind, probably helps Eklund’s case exceed this contract.
If a long-term deal is struck between the two sides, I'd expect it to exceed Guenther’s cap hit slightly. Probably clocking in somewhere between 7-7.5 million in terms of AAV on a 7 or 8-year deal. This would be Grier's first long-term commitment, but if he views Eklund as a long-term core piece, it is a necessary deal. With a rising cap, Eklund’s contract could gain significant value as the team grows and the cap gets larger. The back half of a deal like this could age well for the Sharks as they look to contend.
If the Sharks and Eklund opt for the bridge route on his next contract, it does call into question if they view Eklund as a part of the core long-term. While he is a promising young player, he is not a Grier draft pick. They could have doubts about his long-term projection as Eklund is benefiting from increased playing time on a bad team, and if he doesn't continue to develop, his production could decrease as the team gets better and he gets less usage. Still, if the Sharks did have these concerns, it wouldn't make much sense to get an extension done now, as they could wait until he finishes his entry-level deal next offseason. If a deal is reached this offseason, I fully expect it to be a long-term commitment.
It will be interesting to see how Grier navigates an Eklund extension. While the Sharks have stockpiled young talent, this is the first time they have had to commit money to one of them. Being able to get value out of Eklund’s prime could make it easier when they have to give out the eventual massive extension to Celebrini down the road.