Ottawa acquires former top 10 pick from San Jose in draft-week blockbuster deal

The deal arrives three days before the 2026 NHL Draft opens in Buffalo, with GM Steve Staios having already telegraphed Ottawa's aggressive offseason intentions.

Staios said publicly after the Tkachuk deal that the Senators were "active and open" heading into draft week with their newly assembled arsenal of picks.

In exchange, the Senators sent the 9th overall pick at the upcoming draft and the Sharks also sent them two other players.

Eklund, 23, carries a $5.6 million cap hit through the 2028-29 season after signing a three-year extension with San Jose last summer.

He posted a career-high 58 points last season - 17 goals and 41 assists - making him exactly the top-six scoring winger Ottawa needs to replace Tkachuk's production.

What makes this move genuinely striking is the human thread running through it. When San Jose traded Fabian Zetterlund to Ottawa at the 2025 trade deadline, Eklund told reporters it was one of the toughest days of his life.

The two Swedish forwards were best friends, linemates, and each other's anchor in a rebuilding Sharks locker room.

Eklund stayed.

He re-signed.

He committed to the Sharks rebuild.

Then San Jose traded him too.

That sequence tells you everything about where the Sharks sit philosophically. GM Mike Grier is now moving contracted, mid-20s talent - not rental players - which signals San Jose is compressing their rebuild timeline rather than stockpiling bodies for 2027.

The Senators aren't just acquiring a 58-point winger. They're landing a player already familiar with Zetterlund's game, reuniting a duo Travis Green can deploy together from Day One.

Ottawa's core around Tim Stützle and Jake Sanderson just got meaningfully sharper.

The Tkachuk era closed Sunday night.

Ottawa's offseason is only getting started.

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