When the San Jose Sharks traded Fabian Zetterlund, his best friend William Eklund went through one of the toughest moments of his life.
The Sharks winger was emotional as he surprisingly had his best friend traded to the Ottawa Senators moments before the trade deadline. After not speaking to reporters the day after the trade, Eklund collected himself and shared his immediate thoughts.
“It’s tough. It’s a difficult decision that we had to do,” Eklund said on March 10. “I don’t know what to say about the deadline thing, but it’s, yeah, it’s obviously tough in all this.”
Eklund had ten points (three goals, seven assists) in the remaining 18 games after the NHL Trade Deadline. While the points didn’t add up, the Sharks winger showed maturity and leadership in his game that hadn’t been seen.
“Obviously, it was a tough moment for me. [That] was something that [I] had to go through, and was not easy,” Eklund said during his exit interview. “But coming out today, I think it’s making me a little bit stronger throughout the season. You learn how to handle those things, and hopefully get better out of it.”
Eklund and Zetterlund were stepping out of a recovery sauna when they learned about the trade. Eklund told reporters he wouldn’t go back to that sauna ever again.
Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin, a friend of Eklund and Zetterlund, broke the news before San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier called.
Eklund told reporters he’ll be rooting for the Ottawa Senators during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Sharks winger also said he’d love to see Zetterlund face Mikael Granlund and the Dallas Stars in the final.
Read more news and stories about the San Jose Sharks on Sharks Hockey Digest! Bookmark the page and follow Sharks Hockey Digest on Twitter @SharksHKYDigest!