Ottawa Senators forward William Eklund is headed for a lengthy stint on the sidelines after surgery on a torn tendon in his ankle, a setback expected to keep him out 10-to-12 weeks, according to Ottawa Citizen reporter Bruce Garrioch on Thursday.
The injury happened in the Senators’ game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 8. A day later, head coach Travis Green made it clear the news wasn’t promising, saying Eklund would be out “for an extended period” of time.
Ottawa will also get a reinforcement on the blue line Thursday night, with Garrioch reporting that Artem Zub is set to make his 2026-27 debut when the Senators host the New York Islanders. Zub’s last action came when he suffered a knee injury during Ottawa’s first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Carolina Hurricanes last spring.
Another defenseman, Cameron Crotty, has been activated from injured reserve after dealing with an undisclosed injury suffered Oct. 6 against the Detroit Red Wings.
Eklund’s absence stings because he arrived in Ottawa just last June, when the Senators landed him and two prospects from the San Jose Sharks at the NHL Entry Draft. In that deal, Ottawa sent the No. 9 overall pick in 2026 - a selection the Senators had received from the Florida Panthers in the trade that sent captain Brady Tkachuk to the Sunshine State - to San Jose.
The 24-year-old winger has flashed quickly in a Senators sweater, putting up a goal and an assist with nine shots in four games. He’s now in his fourth season as a full-time NHL player and has piled up 51 goals and 114 assists for 165 points in 256 career games with Ottawa and San Jose.
His track record is well established: at least 15 goals and 45 points in each of his first three full campaigns, topped by a career-best 58 points in 2024-25.
Originally selected by the Sharks with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Eklund also spent a season with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, where he posted 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points in 54 games.
After last season, Eklund and the Sharks agreed to a three-year, $16.8-million contract with a cap hit of $5.6 million through the 2028-29 season.
In Other News...
Sharks Road Trip Opener Suddenly Hinges On A Troubling Blue Line Issue
Darnell Nurses status has quickly become the biggest blue-line storyline as the Sharks open their road trip against the Nashville Predators. The defenseman left a recent game with an upper-body injury after a fight, and coach Ryan Warsofsky said he is still able to travel with the team while remaining a game-time decision. For a San Jose club trying to settle in on the road, that kind of uncertainty on defense is never ideal.
The ripple effect could reach deeper into the lineup if Nurse cannot go, with Luca Cagnoni potentially giving way to Nolan Allan on the back end. San Jose also trimmed its forward depth by reassigning Alex Barre-Boulet and Cam Lund to the Barracuda, with Lund still working back from an upper-body injury. It leaves the Sharks with a few moving parts to sort through before puck drop, and the final defensive alignment may not be known until much closer to game time. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Trade Buzz Puts The Spotlight On One Tough Roster Question
Will Smith remains in open contract extension talks, and for now the Sharks are treating it as a wait-and-see situation with no timeline or deadline attached. It is the kind of business that tends to hover in the background rather than dominate the day-to-day, but it still matters for a San Jose club that is always balancing development, future planning and roster stability.
Across the league, the Flyers are looking at ways to reinforce their blue line with a veteran defenseman, though early-season caution appears to be the more realistic path than a major trade. There is also some internal unease around Travis Konecny despite his scoring leadership, which only adds to the sense that Philadelphia may spend the opening stretch trying to sort out its own issues before making any bigger moves. [Read more 🡒]
William Eklund's Absence Just Changed Both Sharks Matchups With Ottawa
William Eklunds absence adds another layer to what was already a notable stretch for San Jose against Ottawa. The winger, traded from the Sharks to the Senators in June, had been off to a strong start before getting hurt on Oct. 8, and now Ottawa coach Travis Green says he will miss 10-12 weeks after ankle tendon surgery. It is the kind of setback that reshapes a matchup before the puck even drops, especially when a familiar face is suddenly taken out of the picture.
For the Sharks, it changes the look of both meetings with a player they know well, even if only from a brief chapter in his career. Eklund had been one of the more encouraging early developments for Ottawa, so his absence removes a key offensive piece from the Senators lineup and leaves the two games with a different tone than expected. San Jose will still be focused on the result, but the storyline around the matchup now carries a little more weight because of what is missing. [Read more 🡒]