William Eklund will not be part of the San Jose Sharks’ matchups with the Ottawa Senators this season after ankle surgery left him on a 10-12 week timeline.
The injury happened on Oct. 8, when Simon Benoit’s hit sent Eklund’s ankle awkwardly into the boards. He was unable to put weight on the leg as he needed help getting off the ice, and the recovery window now puts him out for the Sharks’ games against Ottawa on Oct. 22 and Oct. 31.
Ottawa recently had a different kind of Eklund reunion, though. Victor Eklund was in town with the New York Islanders, and Christian and Maria Eklund were there too, along with Fabian Zetterlund.
Elsewhere in Sharks news, Tyler Toffoli is starting to show signs of a comeback season, while Yaroslav Askarov’s uneven beginning is drawing scrutiny. Macklin Celebrini also addressed his injury, and Alex Wennberg’s veteran presence is helping lengthen San Jose’s lineup. On the other side of the NHL landscape, Darnell Nurse discussed facing the Edmonton Oilers again, and Ivar Stenberg picked up his first NHL goal.
Celebrini also helped fuel another viral moment for the Sharks when he and Will Smith recreated the famous Dwyane Wade and LeBron James dunk. NHL shared the clip, with the caption, “Do y'all know ball? 🏀” and the post quickly made the rounds again for the Will Smith-Macklin Celebrini duo.
Around the league, Simon Edvinsson’s contract situation is being viewed as one that should not have taken this long to sort out. Gavin McKenna had a conversation with Jim Hiller after being benched, while the New Jersey Devils waived former Shark Stefan Noesen.
The Florida Panthers have now posted three straight natural hat tricks, and the Kings are the NHL’s only winless team. Egor Chinakhov is injured, David Perron is set for another season, Rick Bowness unloaded on the Blue Jackets again, Cam Talbot set a new goaltending record, and there was also a perspective on what it means to be a female fan in hockey.
In Other News...
Sharks Let Another Two-Goal Lead Slip Away In Brutal Loss
The Sharks had another one of those nights that has become far too familiar this season, building a cushion and then spending the late stages trying to hang on. San Jose was in position to leave Detroit with a much-needed win after taking control early, only to watch the game tilt the other way as the Red Wings chipped back into it and forced the extra session.
Shootouts have been unforgiving for San Jose lately, and this one followed the same script with Will Smith, Macklin Celebrini and Ivar Stenberg all coming up empty. Alex Nedeljkovic kept the Sharks alive long enough to reach the tiebreaker, but the margin for error vanished quickly, leaving another blown multi-goal lead as the kind of loss that stings even more because the Sharks have been able to survive similar situations before. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Waste Another Strong Effort With A Finish Fans Know Too Well
The Sharks had themselves in position to leave Detroit with a result that would have matched the effort they put in at Little Caesars Arena. Dmitry Orlov, Macklin Celebrini and Ivar Stenberg all found the net as San Jose battled the Red Wings through a tight, back-and-forth night, and for long stretches it looked like the visitors had done enough to come away satisfied.
Instead, the familiar frustration crept back in late. San Jose carried a 3-2 lead before the Red Wings pulled even, and the game eventually slipped away in a shootout loss, another reminder that the Sharks have been finding ways to compete without always finding the finish they need. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Keep Turning Strong Starts Into A Late-Game Problem
The Sharks latest stumble in Detroit followed a pattern that has started to hang over their recent stretch. They carried a two-goal lead into the third period, only to see it disappear, and the loss marked the fourth time in eight games they have watched a similar advantage slip away. It is the kind of collapse that can make a team look fragile even when the broader effort has been there.
Goaltending has not been framed as the main culprit, which only makes the issue feel more familiar and more frustrating. Ryan Warsofsky said the group is not sitting back or playing passively, instead pointing to small execution errors, defensive breakdowns and difficult reads that keep showing up at the wrong moments. For a team trying to build confidence, the challenge is no longer just getting the lead, but finding a way to protect it once the game tightens. [Read more 🡒]