Weighing in on the Ottawa Senators Trade to the Sharks by William Eklund – Hockey Writers – Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators have been one of the busiest teams in the NHL these past few days. First, they traded Brady Tkachuk in a blockbuster trade with the Florida Panthers. So today, they acquired William Eklund and a few prospects from the San Jose Sharks for the ninth pick, which they received in the Tkachuk deal. Here are the full details:

Senators get:

Sharks get:

• 2026 1st-round pick (No. 9 overall, by Florida)

Eklund isn’t the player Tkachuk is, but he’s a young, up-and-coming top-six defenseman who should fit in well in Ottawa. As for the Sharks, they are loaded with a first-round pick heading into this weekend’s NHL Draft. Let’s measure each side of the trade.

Eklund Will Replace Senators Lost Tkachuk

Tkachuk was the face of the franchise, so to speak. It’s not easy to replace a player with the upside and five-on-five play-driving he brings, but Eklund has to make up for some of it.

Eklund is not the finisher Tkachuk is. He averaged 17 goals in 82 games over the past three seasons, but he’s a powerful player. The Senators have other tight ends in Drake Batherson and Tim Stützle, so they can line up with either player.

Despite his playmaking, Eklund is very good in transition. He’ll find the offensive zone with the carry and he’s not a drop-and-rush player, and he’ll escape the clean defensive zone with more possessions. He is also a low level composer. It is not the first strength of his game, but he will surprise you in the forehead.

And while Eklund isn’t a coach, his shooting metrics look solid. He is a great creator, and he takes pictures very quickly. If he can improve his shooting and finishing skills and become a 20-25 goal scorer, the Senators could have a really good player on their hands.

But even without the finishing ability, the Senators are still getting a quality winger. The ninth overall pick may be the price of a touchdown to pay Eklund, but the Senators have three first-round picks to work with in this weekend’s draft. They needed a top six player after trading Tkachuk, and Eklund should fit in nicely.

Most importantly, Eklund is under contract through the 2028-29 season with a cap hit of $5.6 million. That gives GM Steve Staios plenty of flexibility to make more additions to the Senators’ roster in the next week or two. Also, Eklund will be an RFA when his contract expires, so the Senators have more years of team control. There’s not much not to like from the end of the Senators. This is a good picture for them going into the next season.

Senior Grade: A-

Sharks Load Cargo

The Sharks trading Eklund leads me to believe they will take Ivar Stenberg with the second pick on Friday, assuming Gavin McKenna goes first to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The question now is, what will they do with the ninth overall pick?

We all know the Sharks need more defenders. It was their biggest weakness this season and that’s why they dropped out of the playoff race with a draw. Will GM Mike Grier trade that pick for immediate NHL help on the blue line? Or will he use that pick to draft a defenseman like Keaton Verhoeff or maybe Alberts Smits?

Either way, getting a top-10 pick for Eklund is good business. They’ve been working from a position of strength with their frontcourt, and if they plan to draft Stenberg with the second pick, it makes sense to move on from Eklund and add some more draft money to an already crowded cabinet.

Sharks Grade: A-

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