Ottawa Senators find Brady Tkachuk replacement with trade for William Eklund

He may not have the same intangibles as Tkachuk, but Eklund is the offensive-minded left winger that the Senators coveted. Throughout the past three seasons in San Jose, Eklund has registered 48 goals and 156 points in 235 games, averaging 18:55 of ice time per game. Oh, and he’s only 23 years old.

Additionally, he’s signed at a more-than-manageable cap hit. Thanks to an extension last summer, Ottawa now has Eklund on the books through the 2028-29 season at a $5.6M cap hit. Heading into the draft and free agency, the Senators now have Tkachuk’s replacement with approximately $20M left to work with.

Despite being a natural fit with the Senators, Eklund will reunite with his old linemate, Fabian Zetterlund, too. Although it can take time for younger players to adapt to new teams, having an old friend in Zetterlund will make the transition all the easier for Eklund.

Meanwhile, the Senators have also acquired an additional pair of forward prospects in the swap, adding to their organizational depth. Halttunen, drafted with the 36th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, is coming off his first full professional season with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Being only 21 years old, he had a solid rookie campaign, scoring 16 goals and 35 points in 69 games with a -6 rating.

Ottawa also added Svoboda, 21, who was drafted with the 71st overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft. Technically, the Senators only acquired his signing rights, since Svoboda remains on the roster for the Boston University Terriers. He recently completed his sophomore campaign in which he scored six goals and 15 points in 35 games.

From San Jose’s perspective, the math was easy. Earlier today, Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest reported that five teams were seriously interested in acquiring the second overall pick from the Sharks, and the team had a few legitimate offers to sift through. Over the past few weeks, there has been plenty of speculation on whether the Sharks will select Ivar Stenberg with the second overall pick, a highly-touted defenseman, or trade the pick entirely.

Instead, General Manager Mike Grier determined: Why not both? Now having moved on from Eklund, San Jose has opened up a roster spot for Stenberg (or Gavin McKenna) for next season, and now has the ninth overall pick to add a defenseman. It’s unlikely that the Sharks will have access to the upper echelon of defensive prospects available, such as Chase Reid, Albert Smits, Carson Carels or Keaton Verhoeff, but they could certainly use the ninth overall to bring in Daxon Rudolph or Ryan Lin, each of whom has high-upside talent.