San Jose Sharks
Preview/Lines #78: Eklund on Representing Sweden at World Championships, Toffoli Game-Time Decision
William Eklund didn’t hesitate when asked to represent Sweden at the World Championships.
“A huge honor, always,” he said.
Eklund last wore the Three Crowns for Sweden in Dec. 2021 at the eventually cancelled edition of the 2022 World Junior Championships.
The 5-foot-11 winger, who’s got a career-high 17 goals and 55 points in just his second full NHL season, is especially excited to represent Sweden at home. The 2025 World Championships will be held in Stockholm (and Herning, Denmark), starting on May 9.
Could this World Championships be a springboard for Eklund to play for Sweden at the 2026 Olympics?
“I don’t know,” he said. “Just trying to play my best and be the best player I can be out there. See what happens. Playing for my country is the biggest thing.”
San Jose Sharks (20-47-10)
Alexandar Georgiev should start.
Tyler Toffoli is a game-time decision, if he doesn’t play, Klim Kostin will slide in.
All other forwards from the last game, except for Collin Graf, who was sent down to the San Jose Barracuda, will play.
It’s the same defense. Jan Rutta and Vincent Desharnais are traveling, but no word on when they’ll return to the line-up.
Minnesota Wild (42-29-7)
Marc-Andre Fleury, Wild Masterton nominee, prepares for final home start: ‘Almost over already’ https://t.co/ovyGjPXaJC
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 9, 2025
Ya'll aint ready for my projected #mnwild lines… #lineheathens
Foligno – JEEk – Boldy
Kaprizov – Rossi – Zuccarello
Johansson – Gaudreau – Nyquist
Trenin – Hartman – BrazeauBrodin – Faber
Chisholm – Spurgeon
Merrill – BogosianFleury
— Jessi Pierce (@jessi_pierce) April 9, 2025
Where To Watch
Puck drop between the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild at 5 PM PT at Xcel Energy Center. Watch it live on NBC Sports Bay Area. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.
Maybe I miss read something but I thought I heard Graf got sent down to help the Cuda? I thought he has played lights out in all zones and I think it’s kinda weird to, no1 make him take a massive pay cut and two not reward stellar play.
It probably makes a lot of sense, if you try to imagine what the coaches are thinking. I would think this signifies that they want Graf to gain some valuable experience, and joining the team BEFORE the playoffs might of been seen as a positive.
If I’m Graf I’m pissed, when you fuck with my $ it’s like fucking with my emotions.
😂 Big Worm over here! I love the Friday reference
Good grief. They need him for the AHL playoffs. They want that group to win a championship or have a long run. It’ll benefit them when they’re all playing together in the NHL in the next few years. Seriously, complaining about the money is dumb. He’s not here to make his fortune this season. He’s here to develop and hopefully get a big contract when his ELC expires. You have no long term vision.
At this point the ‘Cuda are more important than the Sharks. They need a few wins to get home ice in the first round. Graf has been good, not sure about lights out, but he has been good.
Interesting that Graf was sent down to the Cuda. With Musty and Chernyshov joining as well, it’ll be quite the talented group
Did you guys catch the little social media hoopla with Couture? I guess he unfollowed the Sharks, and deleted all of his Sharks pictures.
Honestly, I can’t stand the guy, and can’t wait for him to officially retire and fuck off. You guys remember he got smacked at a bar for saying he’d vote for Trump if he could? It’s an especially atrocious thing to say as someone who plays in a city with so many people that Trump is specifically trying to dehumanize.
You have to keep in mind that 80% of pro athletes feel the same way even if they don’t say it. Gotta block it out to enjoy the games. Don’t get feelings for any of them, just appreciate the work and the games.
But the team should cut ties with any holdovers from the loser era ASAP.
He’s probably involved in some litigation, they usually advise plaintiffs or defendants to erase and cancel all social media accounts.
That would be wild. I can’t even imagine what litigation?
It was just a guess lol. But all court filings are in the public domain so it wouldn’t be hard to fine out.
The sad part is Couture and Pickles are the last ties to the winning era as well… But either way, I will be pissed if he’s wearing the C next year, I honestly think the team suffers every day they don’t have a present and active player with that patch on his uni. Whether it’s Toffoli or my personal choice, Captain Celebrini, just not Couture if he can’t get on the ice. Interesting to hear Brock Otton (or whatever his name was in the SJHN interview) say that Schaefer is a future C as well. Can’t have enough of those… Read more »
The winning era is the loser era, man!
It’s nearly impossible that a team could blow a 3-0 series lead and have to win it in Game 7, and then completely blow one two years later without being born losers. That’s not just random bad luck. That’s being losers.
Dude I don’t understand you as a fan. If you need to apply a label of “winning era” and “losing era”, why not celebrate the long stretch of playoffs appearances as the winning era, and call the years we didn’t make the playoffs (the Couture captaincy era) the losing era?
Couture straddles eras, I suppose. I don’t really have official labels for them. I’m in for the time being because Celebrini is a game changer. In general, I am not a fan of teams anymore. I enjoy some sports for the entertainment but that’s about it. I got tickets this year for the first time in a long time just because my phone number is the same as it was and the team made a phone call after the draft to capitalize. I had been away from not just the Sharks, but hockey for about a decade. I was already… Read more »
Oh jeez you’re newbie/part timer. You were out that long and now you’re commenting here daily? Kinda wierd but whatever.
Definitely not a newbie. Part timer for now, just in the sense that the team isn’t good enough to warrant watching on tv. Haven’t seen one second of a game I wasn’t at this year. But from the first time they took the ice in preseason at the Cow Palace until like 2008 I was as hardcore as they come. Then I moved away for work and didn’t have the time to be so nuts but still well above average. Said see ya after they blew the 3-0 lead to the Kings. Evaluating probabilities is a big part of what… Read more »
If you’ve been out a decade you might as well be a newbie. When I moved away my stipulation with the wife was that I get the NHL package no matter what so I could watch Sharks games. I didn’t stop being a fan because I didn’t live there. You’re soft. ;P
Dam, I can’t relate to you. If your fandom is so fickle, what motivates you to make an account on a Sharks blog and participate in the comments?
I mean, I’m a fan now so now I am on a blog and participating. I haven’t signed an 8-year deal. If the team stops holding up their end of the bargain I’ll stop.
Loyal fandom is the irrational choice, not my way of doing it. The team is a company, a brand. They are not loyal to me. I’m not pledging allegiance to a company. They have to hold up their end of the bargain.
Oh ok. I see what you’re saying, but I think there can be more value to sports fandom if you allow it. There’s more emotional impact when you ride or die with a team. Even if it’s still just theatre, with heroes and villains battling for our entertainment, it’s so much more fulfilling to experience the victories when you’ve gone through the losses. For example, and I’m assuming you missed it while on hiatus, but the Game 7 Comeback against Vegas was SO FUCKING COOL!!! Seeing the Sharks finally defeat their bully after getting repeatedly punked by Vegas meant so… Read more »
100%. You get it. This ain’t the MCU, this is sports.
Band wagoner…
I agree with you on most stuff but you’re take on this is so dumb.
Says the guy who just used “you’re” in place of “your”.
Yeah sometimes voice to text fucks me over and I don’t catch it. That all you got, softee?
Ah, you’re a semi-literate who uses talk to text. Does your phone read the posts to you also?
When you fly you probably just stare at the back of the seat in front of you.
lol! What does that even mean? Seems like you’ve run out of juice buddy. Maybe it’s time for your nap?
Dang, you got shook so easily.
lol! You think I’m shook? Do you always misread the room?
Your “loser era” comments are incredibly dumb.
It’s tough to hear for people who stuck with them and wasted another decade of their lives. It’s only human to not want to really confront yourself with what that means. Don’t feel bad.
I don’t feel bad dum dum. I don’t view it as wasted in any sense of the word. It was great entertainment because you never knew what was going to happen as they entered the playoffs each year. Important thing was they were in the playoffs. That uncertainty was always the most exciting part. Not like watching movies where you know the good guy is always going to win or the protagonist is always going to get the girl or boy. Sounds to me like you couldn’t handle the anxiety because you’re soft. Did your tummy get too upset? Did… Read more »
Yeah man, I know almost all pro athletes feel that way, but Logan should know better than to vocalize that opinion.
Oh shit really? How do you know? Is there an article?
yeah, I try not to think about the politics of the players I follow. I was happy he took it in the chops for his Trump comment though.😜😈🤣🤣
Yeah, I think “knowing what the players think” is one of those be careful what you wish for things. They can think whatever they want, but I don’t need to be dumber for having heard what they think.
It was huge on sharks twitter the other day, but yeah there’s an article about Couture unfollowing the Sharks and deleting any trace of him as a Shark: https://www.essentiallysports.com/us-sports-news-nhl-news-san-jose-sharks-and-logan-couture-drama-takes-unexpected-turn-leaving-nhl-fans-confused/
Sounds like a glitch somehow? I don’t think it is a huge issue.
It’s not a huge issue, but it’s relevant to the ongoing speculation of what Couture’s future is as a Shark
All I will say is if he doesn’t want the Sharks’ money anymore, that is fine with me. Otherwise, he should probably not have done any of this
Thanks for the link!
I’m trying to figure out if there’s a reason they could want to buy him out. That’s the only reason I could imagine him going full bitterman like that.
Knock off the politics
Or what dum dum? Fuck Trump and his sycophants.
I just looked at his IG and he’s still following the Sharks though?
Yeah he re-followed after people noticed.