William Eklund and Will Smith will not play Friday night when the San Jose Sharks face the Winnipeg Jets to finish a three-game road trip. But both forwards will be out for different reasons.
Eklund is dealing with an upper-body injury he played through during the Sharks’ 4-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. Eklund had two assists in 19 minutes of ice time against the Hawks and stated after the game that he was far from being 100% healthy.
Smith, though, will be a healthy scratch, but not due to poor play. Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Friday morning that sitting Smith against the Jets was part of the team’s development plan for the 19-year-old center, who is in his first professional season.
“Nothing to do with performance, just part of the plan, and he’ll be out tonight,” Warsofsky said of Smith, who could return to the lineup as soon as Sunday when the Sharks host the Colorado Avalanche.
Smith on Thursday had what Warsofsky said was his best night in a Sharks uniform.
Playing in front of about 50 friends and family members in Chicago, Smith had a career-high 19 minutes of ice time as he centered a line with Luke Kunin and Barclay Goodrow. Per Natural Stat Trick, that line had a Corsi-for percentage of 80, with the trio combining for five shots on goal.
“Best game he’s played,” Warsofsky said of Smith, who remains without a point in four NHL games. “Looked more comfortable, was more engaged, was skating more, playing with the puck more. I think it was definitely a step in the right direction.”
Danil Gushchin and Givani Smith will replace Will Smith and Eklund in the lineup, although it wasn’t clear what line they’ll play on. Gushchin, a healthy scratch the last three games, skated on the Sharks’ top line with Tyler Toffoli and Mikael Granlund in Chicago on Wednesday when the banged-up Eklund did not practice.
The strategy the Sharks are using with Will Smith is not unheard of for young players.
Last season, the Anaheim Ducks used a load management strategy with center Leo Carlsson, whom they selected second overall at the 2023 NHL Draft. Rather than returning the then-18-year-old to Sweden or sending him to the AHL for more professional experience on North American-sized ice, the Ducks kept Carlsson on their roster with built-in games off.
Carlsson played 55 of 82 games for the Ducks, a total not much different from the 44 games he played in his final year with Orebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League during the 2022-23 season. With Anaheim, the 6-foot-3 Carlsson had 29 points and averaged just over 18 minutes of ice time per game.
When asked if the Ducks’ plan for Carlsson and the Sharks’ plan for Will Smith were similar, Warsofsky didn’t specify. Smith played 41 games last year with Boston College and led all NCAA Division I players with 71 points.
“I can’t speak for what the Ducks did in their plan with Leo,” Warsofsky said. “This is our plan with Will, and that’s who we’re going with.”
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