After the Ottawa Senators traded their former captain, Brady Tkachuk, to the Florida Panthers over the weekend, there was an expectation that they would look to add another top-six forward.
Now, the Senators have done just that.
The Senators have announced that they have acquired William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen, and the signing rights to Brandon Svoboda from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the ninth-overall pick of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Oh Ek YEAH!
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) June 23, 2026
The #Sens have acquired forward William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen, and the rights to Brandon Svoboda in exchange for the 9th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. pic.twitter.com/Q2PYSDVvzN
With the Sharks having so many young and skilled forwards, questions about Eklund's future in San Jose have come up. Now, he is officially on the move, and the Senators are the lucky team that has landed him.
Eklund appeared in 78 games this past season with the Sharks, where he recorded 15 goals, 38 assists, and 53 points. This is after the young forward posted 17 goals and 58 points in 77 games for the Sharks during the 2024-25 season.
With Eklund being only 23 years old, he is still plenty young enough to hit a new level with the Senators. He is already a good top-six winger, but it would not be surprising if his offense improves after this move to Ottawa.
Senators also add two promising youngsters to their prospect pool
With Halttunen, the Senators are bringing in a former second-round pick who is coming off a solid first AHL season. In 69 games this past season with the San Jose Barracuda, he posted 16 goals and 35 points. This was after he had 21 goals and 41 points in 38 OHL games with the London Knights in 2024-25.
As for Svoboda, he just completed his sophomore season with Boston University. In 35 games last season with BU, the 6-foot-3 forward recorded six goals and 15 points. This was after he had seven goals and nine points in 33 games with BU in 2024-25.
While Eklund is undoubtedly the big prize from this trade, Senators fans should keep a close eye on Halttunen and Svoboda as well. These two could be solid players for Ottawa later down the road.
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