Star forward ruled out for up to 12 weeks after unexpected surgery as Ottawa Senators face setback
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William Eklund will miss 10 to 12 weeks after surgery on a torn ankle tendon, leaving Ottawa without its big offseason addition until the new year.
William Eklund's first month in Ottawa just hit a wall.
The Senators forward had surgery to repair a torn ankle tendon and will be out 10 to 12 weeks, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
That timeline points to a return in late December at the earliest, and more likely early January.
The injury happened Oct. 8 against Philadelphia.
Eklund was checked into the boards by Simon Benoit in the first period, stayed down in pain and could not put any weight on his left leg.
Travis Green said the following day that he didn't expect surgery, which makes this update a real shift.
What Ottawa loses up front
Eklund got through just four games with the Senators, picking up a goal and an assist while skating on the top line with Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson.
He arrived in a June 23 trade with San Jose, a deal that sent the No. 9 pick in the 2026 draft to the Sharks.
Ottawa also landed Kasper Halttunen and the rights to prospect Brandon Svoboda.
That pick came from Florida in the Brady Tkachuk trade.
Last season in San Jose, Eklund put up 15 goals and 53 points in 78 games, and his career high is 58 points from 2024-25.
What comes next for the Senators
The team sits at 5-2-0, but the injury list keeps growing.
Andre Burakovsky, Jake Sanderson, Nikolas Matinpalo and Artem Zub are or were all dealing with injuries too.
Eklund is already on injured reserve, and long-term injured reserve could become an option if Ottawa needs cap space to make a move.
His cap hit is $5.6 million through 2028-29.
For now, the Senators have to find ways to cover his minutes and keep winning games in a tough Atlantic Division.
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