The Ottawa Senators made the tough decision over the summer to trade captain and emotional leader Brady Tkachuk to the divisional rival Florida Panthers, and the prevailing thought was that Ottawa would struggle to compete in the talent-heavy Atlantic Division.
However, they’ve flipped the script with an impressive 5-2 start to the season, defying most expectations. However, they haven’t been completely healthy so far, and just lost one of their key forwards for an extended period of time.
According to the Senators, forward William Eklund will miss at least the next 10-12 weeks after suffering a torn ankle tendon.
The Ottawa Senators Have Lost Forward William Eklund For An Extended Period Due To A Torn Ankle Tendon
According to Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun, the Senators will be without forward William Eklund for the next 10-12 weeks after he suffered a torn tendon in his ankle.
“William Eklund had surgery for a torn tendon. 10-to-12 weeks is the recovery time,” Garrioch wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Eklund isn’t the only injury that the Senators have dealt with this season. Defenseman Jake Sanderson hasn’t played since Ottawa’s first game of the campaign after re-aggravating a lower-body injury he’d previously suffered after colliding with forward Nick Paul of the divisional rival Tampa Bay Lightning.
Additionally, Artem Zub has been on Injured Reserve with a knee injury, while Andre Burakovsky is on Injured Reserve with an upper-body injury.
In four games played this year so far, Eklund has scored a goal while adding an assist.
William Eklund Is Playing In His First Year With The Senators
Eklund was taken in the first round (seventh overall pick) by the San Jose Sharks in the 2021 NHL Draft, and eventually established himself as a productive forward, registering 49 points in 2023-24 and a career-best 58 points the following season.
He added 53 points in 2025-26 before being traded to the Senators in June 2026 as part of a package for a first-round pick.
So far in his NHL career, he’s skated in 256 games, and has scored 51 goals with 114 assists for 165 points, along with a minus-90 rating and 101 penalty minutes.
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