Senators' William Eklund out extended period with ankle injury
The forward was injured in Thursday's win over Philadelphia and is not expected to need surgery.
OTTAWA · Ottawa Senators forward William Eklund will be out for an extended period with an ankle injury, head coach Travis Green said Friday. Green did not provide a specific timeline for the 23-year-old's return but said he expects Eklund back this season and does not believe he will need surgery. The injury occurred during the first period of Ottawa's 2-1 home-opening win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. Eklund was hit by Flyers defenceman Simon Benoit and awkwardly jammed his skate into the base of the boards, needing assistance to leave the ice and unable to put weight on his left leg.
"I don't know exactly how long," Green said regarding the timeline. The loss of a top-six forward for the foreseeable future is a blow for the Senators, who are off to a 3-1-0 start and sit tied for the lead in the competitive Atlantic Division. Eklund, acquired from the San Jose Sharks in June as part of a package that sent the ninth pick in the 2026 NHL draft to San Jose, has one goal and one assist in four games this season. That draft pick was part of the return in the Brady Tkachuk trade to Florida. Selected seventh overall by San Jose in 2021, Eklund has 165 points in 256 regular-season NHL games.
Green said the team must focus on the players who are available. "We don't really talk about the guys who are out," Green said. "We worry about our own game. The guys who are playing. I think we're more than capable of winning games if we've got some players injured. We've done it before. It's as simple as that." There was some positive injury news for Ottawa, as forward Andre Burakovsky is close to returning from an upper-body injury and could potentially play Saturday against the visiting Nashville Predators. Defenceman Kurtis MacDermid, also dealing with an upper-body injury, participated in an optional practice Friday.
Green added that injured defencemen Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub should rejoin the team "in the next few days." Sanderson has been sidelined since suffering an injury in the season opener against Toronto. Zub has yet to make his regular-season debut after dealing with a knee injury dating back to last April. He opted for rehab which has turned out to be an extended process. Defenceman Cameron Crotty was not at practice due to illness, while prospect Hoyt Stanley remains with the team after being recalled from Belleville. Ottawa returns to action Saturday night against Nashville.
With files from The Canadian Press, Sportsnet and CBC News