The post-Brady Tkachuk era in Ottawa is underway, and Steve Staios didn’t take long to make another move.
Just days after trading Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, the Ottawa Senators flipped the No. 9 overall pick to the San Jose Sharks for William Eklund and more. It’s a clear sign Ottawa isn’t planning to take a step back, even after moving its captain.
Eklund is 23 years old and already has back-to-back 50-plus point seasons in the NHL. He sees the ice well, can create offence, and should fit pretty naturally alongside Tim Stützle. The contract also helps, $5.6 million through 2029, which gives Ottawa some stability while the cap continues to rise. There’s also the fact he’s still growing into his game, which matters for a team trying to reshape its core, especially when you think about how young their forward group still is overall.
Senators now need to target grit
Eklund is a skilled player, but he’s not the same type of presence Tkachuk was. He was the guy who could change the feel of a game, throw a hit, get under skin, and drag the group into the fight when things started to tilt the other way.
Ottawa added skill with Eklund, and there’s a good chance he becomes an important part of what they’re building. But the roster does look different without Tkachuk, and maybe that’s where the No. 25 pick or free agency comes in. There’s still time for Staios to adjust things further if he wants to balance the lineup, depending on how aggressive he wants to be over the next few weeks.
It still feels like there’s another move coming at some point. The Senators replaced some of the offence, but replacing everything Tkachuk brought is a different challenge entirely. And now Staios will be tasked with trying to find a way to add more grit into their top nine.
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