Kasper Halttunen is headed to the Ottawa Senators after they acquired William Eklund, Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda from the San Jose Sharks on June 23, 2026. San Jose gets the No. 9 pick in this week’s NHL Draft, while Ottawa reshapes its draft board and adds three players in one move.
William Eklund brings the clearest NHL track record in the deal. The 23-year-old forward scored 15 goals and 53 points in 78 games last season, giving Ottawa an established scorer at a moment when the roster was already changing around him.
William Eklund adds proven offense
Eklund has 50 goals and 163 points in 252 career games, and he signed a three-year, $5.6 million AAV extension with the Sharks last summer. He did not have trade protection on that contract, which left him movable as the draft approached.
The trade also reunites him with Fabian Zetterlund in Ottawa. Eklund and Zetterlund had time together as linemates in San Jose, so Ottawa is not bringing in a stranger at the top of the lineup. That is the practical part of the move: one player arrives with a recent production base, and one arrives with built-in familiarity.
Halttunen and Svoboda
Kasper Halttunen comes in with a different profile. The Sharks drafted him in the second round in 2023, and he won the Memorial Cup with the London Knights last season before scoring 16 goals and 35 points in 69 regular-season games with the Barracuda this past regular season.
Brandon Svoboda is still an unsigned prospect. San Jose took him at No. 71 in the third round in 2023, and he produced six goals and 15 points in 35 games with Boston University this season. Ottawa now controls his rights after using the No. 9 pick to complete the package.
Sharks choose draft position
For San Jose, the deal is a straight move up the draft board. The Sharks take the No. 9 pick and give up three players, including a 23-year-old forward who has posted consecutive 50-plus point seasons and has been a steady part of their top two forward lines over the last three seasons.
Mike Grier did not tip his hand in a pre-draft media availability on Tuesday, but the Sharks have already been linked to Ivar Stenberg with the No. 2 draft pick if they keep it before Friday’s first round. That leaves San Jose with premium draft capital and a clear decision tree, while Ottawa still holds the No. 25 pick and the No. 32 pick, though the latter cannot be traded. The Senators may not be done after sending out the No. 9 pick; what they do with the rest of that draft position should tell the rest of the story.
