- William Eklund had surgery on a torn ankle tendon and will miss 10-12 weeks
- Travis Green said last week he didn’t expect surgery
- Read below for the Eklund injury video and what it means for Ottawa
William Eklund needed surgery after all.
The Senators winger had an operation Wednesday to repair a torn tendon in his ankle and will be out 10-12 weeks, Ottawa Sun reporter Bruce Garrioch reported Thursday:
That is a different outlook than the one Ottawa gave right after the injury. Coach Travis Green said Friday that Eklund would miss an “extended” period and told reporters he didn’t believe surgery would be needed. We covered that update at the time.
Eklund got hurt in the first period of the Senators’ 2-1 win over the Flyers on Oct. 8. Flyers defenseman Simon Benoit hit him into the boards, and Eklund’s left foot got caught awkwardly. He couldn’t put weight on the leg and had to be helped down the tunnel.
Take a look at the hit:
Ten to 12 weeks from now lands somewhere in late December or early January, so Eklund should be able to return in the second half of the regular season.
The 23-year-old had a goal and an assist in four games this season. Ottawa landed him from San Jose in June in the trade that sent out the No. 9 pick, which the Senators had picked up from Florida in the Brady Tkachuk deal. He had 53 points in 78 games last season.
The Senators are 5-2-0 and host the Islanders on Thursday night. Artem Zub makes his season debut in that game, and Jake Sanderson is close to returning, which helps a defense that has been thin early. Up front, Ottawa will have to find another winger to skate alongside Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson.
Our original report on the injury has the details from the night he went down.
