When the Ottawa Senators sent captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, the direction of the franchise suddenly felt wide open. Two days later, Ottawa used part of that return to add William Eklund, and now there’s a clear next step staring the Senators in the face: put Eklund back with Fabian Zetterlund.
The case for that reunion starts with what already worked in San Jose. Eklund and Zetterlund were part of the “Lund Line” with Mikael Granlund, and over roughly two seasons together that trio logged 524:04 minutes, fired 318 shots, scored 50 goals and posted a 53% expected goals percentage.
There was also a version of the pairing without Granlund in the middle, and the results were still strong enough to matter. In 276:01 minutes together, Eklund and Zetterlund generated 110 shots and held a 46.53% expected goals percentage.
For Ottawa, that’s the encouraging part: Eklund looks like the kind of player who can help pull Zetterlund out of his slump. Eklund brings the puck and the passing; Zetterlund brings the shot and the work around the crease.
Eklund’s own growth only strengthens the argument. Last season, he spent a lot of time on the wing with Macklin Celebrini, and the numbers jumped.
Eklund and Celebrini played 495:03 minutes together, produced 330 shots and posted a 59.13% expected goals percentage. That stretch helped Eklund finish with 15 goals and 38 assists in 78 games, a strong sign that he can thrive as a top-six winger when he’s riding alongside a fast, skilled center.
That’s where Tim Stützle enters the picture for Ottawa. The Senators have their own speedy center, and he and Zetterlund already flashed some real promise when they were used together. According to Sportsnet’s Adam Vingan, when Zetterlund first arrived in Ottawa for the end of the 2024-2025 season, the team controlled 62.6% of the expected goals at even strength and out-chanced opponents significantly with Zetterlund and Stützle on the ice together.
Put it all together, and the fit is obvious. Eklund can work the offensive zone and feed pucks into dangerous areas, Stützle can drive the pace and create openings, and Zetterlund can finish plays and keep pressure on the forecheck.
Eklund and Zetterlund have already shown they can work with centers like this. In Ottawa, Stützle gives them the kind of high-end middleman they never had together in San Jose.
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Stephen Halliday Is Forcing His Way Into Ottawas Next Big Debate
Stephen Halliday started the 2025-26 season where a lot of young forwards hope to end up, driving play at the top of Bellevilles lineup and waiting for a real NHL opening. The door cracked open when injury pulled Ridly Greig out of Ottawas mix, and Halliday stepped into his debut in mid-November with the kind of poise that quickly made him more than just a temporary fill-in. He ended up getting into 30 NHL games, and even as the Senators worked through the usual growing pains of a rookie center, his possession numbers suggested he was helping tilt the ice in the right direction.
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There is a larger wrinkle, though, as the club weighs whether this is even the right moment to rush into naming a successor. Ottawa has used the no-captain route before during rebuilding years, and that possibility lingers as the organization tries to balance symbolism with patience. Drake Bathersons name has surfaced as part of the broader discussion, adding another layer to a decision that could shape the tone of the next season long before puck drop. [Read more 🡒]