Senators Acquire Eklund & 2 Prospects from Sharks for 9th Overall Pick – The Hockey Writers – Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators were the owners of the ninth-overall pick for a brief time, with them flipping the pick acquired in the Brady Tkachuk deal over to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for winger William Eklund and prospects Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda.

🚨 William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen, and rights to Brandon Svoboda from OTT to SJ for Pick 9

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) June 23, 2026

The Senators never had any intention of using that pick. It was always going to be flipped for a high-end winger, and Eklund seemed to fit the bill well.

With San Jose, they were able to get themselves out of a very tough decision. While holding the second-overall pick and having the opportunity to draft Ivar Stenberg, the Sharks didn’t need another stud forward prospect. Moving Eklund out gives them the space to do that, and getting the ninth-overall pick is going to let them look at some defensive prospects in that range.

Eklund finished fourth on the Sharks in scoring through the 2025-26 season, posting 15 goals and 53 points in 78 games. At just 23 years old, Eklund has developed into a very good two-way winger. The even-strength goals haven’t come for him yet, but he does a lot of the right things offensively.

The Sharks had a great breakout season from Macklin Celebrini, but Eklund was not one of the primary beneficiaries of that. For much of the season, Eklund played alongside Alex Wennberg and Tyler Toffoli. Those three made up a good second line, but he will have the chance to play with some more talented linemates with the Senators.

It is likely that Eklund is being penciled in on the top line alongside Tim Stutzle.

The Senators were able to bring in more than just Eklund with that pick, though. Bringing Halttunen in gives them some depth in their prospect system. Through 69 American Hockey League games, the 21-year-old prospect posted 35 points, which is good production for a player his age in his first AHL season.

He is a big 6-foot-4 winger with a powerful shot. There is a development path open for him to become a strong third-line checking/scoring hybrid player. Having some of those players in the system is certainly a helpful thing.

As for Svoboda, the Senators acquired his rights as he is an NCAA player without a deal. He hasn’t been a wow-factor in that league, but he had a strong showing at the 2025 World Junior Championship.

Both sides get what they want out of this deal. The Senators improve their roster and prospect system, while the Sharks get into the top 10 of the draft for a second time, and the ability to select another player, or move it as part of a bigger trade.