How would I grade the San Jose Sharks’ off-season?
It appears as if the Sharks don’t have too much left up their sleeve this summer.
“I would say we probably are finished,” GM Mike Grier said last week.
Let’s review each move…overall grade at the end!
William Eklund
The Sharks inked their 22-year-old star winger, who broke out with a career-high 58 points last season, to a three-year, $16.8 million extension ($5.6 million AAV) that kicks in 2026-27.
That figure was in line with San Jose Hockey Now’s prediction about William Eklund‘s extension in early June: “If Eklund and the Sharks discuss three or four-year extensions, over $5 million AAV seems like a realistic possibility.”
So no argument with the not my money anyway.
The Sharks, however, may regret not locking up their budding star to more years…but Eklund is not a sure thing to develop into a playoff-caliber first-line winger either. From Eklund’s perspective, he’s sick of losing, so hopefully the team is truly on the way up.
So it’s couple who loves each other, but isn’t sure if they’re ready to get married yet.
Grade: A
John Klingberg
Klingberg, 32, signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Sharks.
If healthy, the 6-foot-2 right-hander should prove to be a bargain. In his prime, he was one of the top offensive defenseman in the NHL, and he looked spry during the Edmonton Oilers’ Stanley Cup Final run.
But he’s also played just 25 regular season games over the last two years because of hip issues.