The Ottawa Senators flipped the No. 9 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to the San Jose Sharks for a package including winger William Eklund, the teams announced Tuesday.
The Senators also receive forward prospects Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda as part of the deal.
Eklund tallied 15 goals and 38 assists in 78 games last season, reaching the 50-point mark for the second straight campaign. The 23-year-old is under contract for three more years with a $5.6-million cap hit. He'll be a restricted free agent in 2029 before he can become unrestricted a year later.
William Eklund, acquired by OTT, is a two-way playmaking winger who uses his intelligence, puck skills, and motor to complement his linemates (and compensate for lack of size and wheels). Goals haven't come at 5v5 but he's shown some scoring upside on the PP. pic.twitter.com/WmouCRM3i8
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 23, 2026
The Senators acquired the ninth overall pick from the Florida Panthers in Sunday's Brady Tkachuk trade. Eklund, although a very different player, will attempt to help fill the void left by Tkachuk.
The Sharks now have three first-rounders in Friday's draft, as they already held the No. 2 and No. 27 picks.
Halttunen was drafted 36th overall in 2023. The 6-foot-3 winger tallied 35 points in 69 games with the AHL's San Jose Barracuda last season. He's 21 years old.
Svoboda was a third-round pick in 2023. The unsigned center registered 15 points in 35 games at Boston University last season. He's also 6-foot-3 and 21 years old.
