Sheng Peng
The San Jose Sharks have traded William Eklund.
The Sharks have sent Eklund, along with prospects Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda, to the Ottawa Senators for the 2026 No. 9 pick.
The Senators acquired that No. 9 selection from the Florida Panthers in the Brady Tkachuk deal last week.
The San Jose Sharks are now armed with the No. 2, 9, and 27 picks in the 2026 Draft.
The Sharks selected Eklund at No. 7 in the 2021 Draft. Their first top-10 pick in six years, the Swede was a bright spot in a farm system that had gone dry after years of drafting late. The 5-foot-10 winger became a full-time NHL’er in 2023-24, and over the last three seasons, averaged about 15 goals and 50 points a season.
Just 23, it seemed like Eklund’s best days were ahead of him, but it won’t be in San Jose. He will start a three-year extension, inked last summer and with a $5.6 million AAV, in 2026-27 in Ottawa.
At the moment, it’s not clear what the San Jose Sharks will do with their war chest of first-round picks, but there is intriguing talent around that No. 9 spot, like power forward Ethan Belchetz or flashy defenseman Daxon Rudolph.
Also, dealing Eklund could clear a path on the roster for the Sharks to use their No. 2 on winger Ivar Stenberg.
They could also use that pick to add their current roster, which missed the playoffs by just four points this past season.
Halttunen and Svoboda were both selected in the 2023 Draft, the No. 36 and 71 picks, respectively. Neither appear to be on the fast track to the NHL right now, but are still promising mid-range prospects.
6-foot-4 Halttunen, armed with a big shot, racked up 16 goals and 35 points for the San Jose Barracuda this past season, his first full pro North American campaign. 6-foot-3 center Svoboda won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2025 World Championships, and had six goals and 15 points in 33 games for Boston University this year.