William Eklund was a highly touted prospect taken early in the 2021 NHL draft. As he approaches the 100 NHL games played mark, he hasn’t fully arrived as an NHL star. Has that ship sailed? How much upside is left for Eklund? Is it just that the San Jose Sharks have been terrible during Eklund’s tenure? We’ll dig into those questions and much more.

William Eklund, D0. (#72) Most players would 100% have taken the shot, and it looks like the defender & goalie thought so too, but Eklund takes the feed out front and immediately dishes it across the crease for his teammate to tap it in. 2020-10-15#SJSharks pic.twitter.com/TVmmFmP50S

— Fantasy Hockey Doctor - Victor Nuño (@VictorNuno12) February 3, 2024

Eklund was drafted seventh overall by the Sharks in 2021. The EP Rinkside team had him rated as the second-best player available so safe to say we think they got great value. The team saw Eklund’s best strength as his hockey sense followed close behind by his passing. Skating, shooting, and physicality got the lowest scores, but they were still decent. In fact, the team raved about the collection of above-average elements to his game that make him