- Travis Green says William Eklund will miss an extended period with an ankle injury
- No surgery is expected and Green believes Eklund returns this regular season
- Read below for the Eklund injury video and the rest of Ottawa’s lineup updates
The Senators will be without William Eklund for a while.
Coach Travis Green said Friday that the winger is out for an “extended” period with an ankle injury he suffered in Thursday’s 2-1 win over the Flyers.
Green was asked how long he expects Eklund to be sidelined.
“I don’t know exactly how long,” Green said.
He added that he doesn’t believe Eklund will need surgery and expects him back at some point during the regular season.
Eklund got hurt in the first period. He was chasing a puck into the corner when Flyers defenseman Simon Benoit hit him into the boards, and his left foot got caught awkwardly. He couldn’t put weight on the leg and had to be helped down the tunnel. Watch the hit here:
Ottawa Sun reporter Bruce Garrioch had the first read on how serious it was. He said Friday morning to expect Eklund to go for further testing on the left ankle and called it “doubtful we’ll see him in the foreseeable future.”
We covered the moment Eklund left the game Thursday night.
The 23-year-old has a goal and an assist through four games with Ottawa. The Senators got him from San Jose on June 23 along with forward Kasper Halttunen and the rights to prospect Brandon Svoboda. The price was the No. 9 pick in the 2026 draft, which Ottawa picked up from Florida in the Brady Tkachuk trade.
Eklund is signed through 2028-29 at a $5.6 million cap hit.
There was other injury news from Green on Friday. Forward Andre Burakovsky is close to returning and could play Saturday against the Predators at 7 p.m. ET. Defensemen Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub are expected to join the team in the next few days, though neither has a firm return date.
