Ottawa Senators forward William Eklund is set to miss 10-to-12 weeks after undergoing surgery on a torn ankle tendon.
Eklund was injured in the first period of the Senators’ 2-1 victory over the Flyers last week after taking a hit from defenceman Simon Benoit while chasing the puck into the corner in the offensive zone.
The 23-year-old winger remained on the ice in pain and was attended to by the team’s training staff.
Eventually he left the ice with assistance from two teammates, unable to put pressure on his left leg.
The 5-foot-10 winger was acquired by the Senators from the Sharks in the off-season, along with prospects Brandon Svoboda and Kasper Halltunen in exchange for the ninth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Eklund has a goal and an assist in four regular season games for the Senators this season, his first with the team. He had 15 goals and 53 points in 78 games with the Sharks last season.
Ottawa is off to a 5-2-0 start despite dealing with injuries to Eklund, Andre Burakovsky and defencemen Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub. Burakovsky made his season debut on Saturday, while Zub is set to play Thursday and Sanderson is close to returning as well.