The San Jose Sharks’ plan for the 2023-24 season is simple; they want to continue to be bad. The moves they’ve made up to this point of the offseason have done very little to increase their odds of competing. Clearly, general manager Mike Grier believes the best direction for the team is to continue down the rebuilding road. However, having a less-than-stellar team gives plenty of opportunities for the Sharks’ younger players to shine.
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While the Sharks’ prospect pool is still building, they have a few players ready to turn pro full-time. However, the prospects they’re expecting to become full-time members of their roster are reaching a stage in their career where some level of concern is going to be present if they are unable to live up to expectations. As a result, this could be a make-it or break-it year for a few rookies.
Eklund Expected to Play Big Minutes This Season
Although the Sharks added Will Smith at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, their biggest prospect is undoubtedly William Eklund. Eklund has spent the past few seasons slowly transitioning to the NHL, but this past season indicates he is probably ready to make the leap to a full-time NHLer. With that said, this season will be vital to his development if he is expected to become a mainstay in the future.
In eight games with the Sharks last year, Eklund put up three points after putting up 41 points in 54 games with the San Jose Barracuda. While there was no real pressure to start performing yet, it did take him a little bit to ramp up to NHL speed. This season, a lot more will be expected from him to solidify his position as a top prospect. While all will not be lost if this season isn’t great for him, there will be a lot of questions if Eklund is unable to meet expectations.
Bordeleau Will Get Extended Ice Time With the Sharks
While Eklund and Smith are the top prospects in the Sharks’ pool, they have plenty of prospects that they’ll be able to rely on to fill up the roster. One of those prospects is Thomas Bordeleau. Last season, he had 41 points in 65 games with the Barracuda before putting up two points in eight NHL games. However, Bordeleau has one massive advantage over Eklund: there is no pressure to perform as a top prospect.
While Bordeleau will probably get some looks in the NHL this year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him stay in the American Hockey League for the year. He was not nearly as close to point-per-game as Eklund was, so one or two more years before joining the Sharks full-time would make sense. With that said, this will still be a big year for him. He needs to show significant growth from last year’s numbers to be considered a big prospect. It may not be in the NHL, but his production will still be incredibly important.
There are plenty of prospects who need to have good years to continue helping the Sharks rebuild, but Eklund and Bordeleau are two on the cusp of having questions begin to form about them. The Sharks have hopefully done enough to build around those players, but the only way to know for sure is to see how they perform once the regular season gets underway. They may not be done for the offseason just yet, but the big moves have been made unless a Karlsson trade happens. Now, fans can only wait to see what their favorite prospects do next year.