Eklund has 'no hard feelings' for Sharks after trade to Senators

William Eklund is no longer part of the San Jose Sharks' rebuild, but he's excited for the chance to play for the Ottawa Senators next season. 

The 23-year-old forward was acquired by the Senators in a trade with the Sharks on Tuesday and could replace Brady Tkachuk on their top line after the former captain was traded to the Florida Panthers.

"That's part of the game sometimes; it's a business," Eklund said Friday. "Everybody getting into hockey, we know how it works. I have no hard feelings for San Jose. I wish all the guys the best of luck there.

"Coming to Ottawa is a big chance for me. I think I haven't even proven myself as the best player I can be and I really hope to take another step next year, another step the year after that to help us win more games in the (Stanley Cup) Playoffs and stuff like that. I'm just really excited, that's the only thing I am."

Selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Eklund had 53 points (15 goals, 38 assists) in 78 games this season and 163 points (50 goals, 113 assists) in 252 games with the Sharks.

Ottawa also received forward Kasper Halttunen and the rights to forward prospect Brandon Svoboda for the No. 9 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, which it had acquired from Florida in the trade for Tkachuk on Sunday. 

The first round of the 2026 draft is on Friday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are Saturday (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN).

The Sharks, whose young core includes forwards Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Michael Misa and defenseman Sam Dickinson, finished four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card in the Western Conference and missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

Th Senators have qualified for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons but were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference First Round two months ago. Eklund could find himself playing on a line with right wing Fabian Zetterlund, who is Eklund's good friend and teammate in San Jose (2022-25), and center Tim Stutzle, who led Ottawa this season with 83 points (34 goals, 49 assists) in 80 games.

"Yeah, obviously a great player," Eklund said of Stutzle. "He's been a great player in this league for a while now, so if you get that opportunity, you just do the best you can with it. He's been doing really good things with this organization and in this league for a while now. Whoever I play with, it's going to be a fun journey."

Eklund said he needed three months of rehab prior to the start of this season after sustaining a wrist injury while playing for Sweden in a pre-tournament game at the 2025 IIHF World Championship. He's currently healthy and training in preparation for the next chapter of his career.

"The times I've played (the Senators), they've been really hard to play against," Eklund said. "They're a really well-rounded team, a deep group and I've heard really good things about them.

"A lot of good young guys who are trying to do good things, so I'm just really excited to join that group and do the best I can."