Fabian Zetterlund appeared to have star potential when he was standing out on an awful San Jose Sharks team. However, Zetterlund's game has dropped heavily since he was traded to the Ottawa Senators in March 2025.
Zetterlund is in his first year of his three-year contract, which was signed this past June. It appeared to be a win for both parties at the time of the signing. However, it may be time to consider Zetterlund as trade bait with how disappointing his tenure has been in Ottawa.
Zetterlund hasn't lived up to expectations in Ottawa
Zetterlund panned out with scoring 41 goals combined in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons in San Jose. With his ability to score goals on a bad team, Zetterlund's trade value was with reason. This season, Zetterlund's play has grown more of a concern.
While playing in all 19 of Ottawa's games this season, Zetterlund has recorded four points and has scored just one goal. While players Lars Eller, Artem Zub and Nick Cousins haven't been known for their goal scoring in their respective careers, all three players have more goals this season than Zetterlund.
Goal scoring has dropped big for Zetterlund since being traded over. In 39 games as a Senator, Zetterlund has scored just three goals.
Zetterlund has had multiple chances to score goals this season on nice plays set up, but he can't bury the puck in the back of the net. The one goal that Zetterlund scored this season was a powerplay goal in the Senators' 7-2 win on Oct. 27 against the Boston Bruins, but it was a goal to make it 7-1 when the game was far from over in the third period.
This past August, Zetterlund was projected to record a career-high 47-point season by NHL.com's Troy Perlowitz. So far, a 47-point season may be out of the picture for Zetterlund.
So far into his tenure, a possibility to say about Zetterlund is that he hasn't fit in with the Senators' system. Given his age and past play with the Sharks, potential could still be there for him to be trade bait.
Zetterlund will be a UFA after the 2027-28 season with a cap hit of $4.275 million per year. At 26 years old, Zetterlund still can reach new levels, but it may not be with the Senators.
If Zetterlund starts getting hot, the Senators will be a much better team in a tight Eastern Conference. However, with his struggling play since being traded in March, Ottawa could get concerned about Zetterlund moving forward.