Right before the trade deadline ended, the Ottawa Senators made a trade with the San Jose Sharks to acquire Fabian Zetterlund on March 7. Despite being on a bad Sharks team since 2023, Zetterlund put up respectable numbers.
In 146 games with the Sharks in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons combined, Zetterlund recorded 80 points. However, Zetterlund recorded just five points in 20 games as a Senator following the trade.
This Summer, Zetterlund is a restrricted free agent. Potential is still there for the Swede to raise his game, but it's also important to get a fair deal.
Projecting Zetterlund's next contract
At 25 years old, Zetterlund is capable of growing his game and becoming a consistent top-nine forward for the Senators. With Zetterlund due for a new contract, it's time for a projection given his age, play and fitting in.
A two-year contract at a salary of $2.5-$3.1 per year might be in the fair range for Zetterlund's next contract this Summer.
Being traded over to a new team can take time for a player to get used to a new system and learning to play with his new teammates. After being traded, it would take Zetterlund nine games to record his first point as a Senator, and it took until his 16th game for Zetterlund to score his first goal as a Senator.
At times, Zetterlund was playing alongside Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk with a chance to raise his game. Zetterlund still had quality chances to score, but was unable to. Two of Zetterlund's five points were goals, and Zetterlund recorded no points in the 2025 playoffs. Zetterlund did conclude the regular season strong with recording five points in the final six games.
With that being considered, two years would be a fair contract for Zetterlund. The 2025-26 season would be Zetterlund's first full season in Ottawa for him to get fully used to the team for a whole season instead of 20 games. Then, the 2026-27 season would be the contract year where Zetterlund will need to perform big for a new contract.
Zetterlund is a big restricted free agent for the Senators to keep this Summer along with Tyler Kleven and Leevi Merilainen. Keeping all three will be important, but the contracts will need to be fair on both sides.