After trading away Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios said he was not done making moves. He followed through on that just days later. The Senators have traded for San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund, according to multiple reports.
“Sources confirm that Ottawa is acquiring William Eklund from San Jose,” TSN’s Chris Johnston reported.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported the full details, “Full trade details: To [Senators]: William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen, Brandon Svoboda. To [Sharks]: 2026 FLA 1st Round Pick (No. 9 overall).”
Eklund was drafted seventh overall in 2021 and has played three full seasons for the Sharks. He has scored at least 15 goals and 45 points in each of those seasons. Halttunen was drafted 36th overall in 2023, and Svoboda was taken 71st that year. Neither has made their NHL debut.
The Senators made the playoffs last year on the strength of their offense. Losing Tkachuk, who scored 59 points in 60 games last year, will hurt that group. But adding an impact forward immediately with one of the picks will bring the Senators’ offense closer to its 2025-26 level.
The Senators also add two forward prospects to their pipeline in this deal. Svoboda is a forward who has spent the last two years at Boston University. He scored 15 points in 35 games for the Terriers last year. Halttunen is a winger who scored 35 points in the AHL last year and could make the Senators out of camp.
The Sharks now have the second and ninth overall picks in Friday’s NHL Draft. They have a lot of young forwards on the team and are widely expected to take a defenseman in the first round. Now, they have three fewer forwards than they had before, which could change things. Would they draft a forward second overall and then take a defenseman with their new pick?
The NHL Draft is on Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern.
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