Under the microscope: Can Eklund unlock the Zetterlund the Senators paid for?
As the Ottawa Senators prepare to open their season against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, there may be no forward more under the microscope than Fabian Zetterlund.
The 27-year-old is set to open the season on Ottawa's second line, next to longtime friend and former San Jose linemate William Eklund, with Dylan Cozens at centre. On paper, the line is a reunion built for both speed and offence. But it may also be Zetterlund’s final chance to prove he belongs in the top six.
Ottawa paid a real price to get him. The Senators sent Zack Ostapchuk, Noah Gregor and a 2025 second-round pick to San Jose at the 2025 trade deadline, betting on a player who had shown offensive upside.
However, the early returns were thin. Zetterlund had two goals and five points in 20 regular-season games after the trade, and he didn't record a point in Ottawa's first-round loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Still, the Senators bet on upside and inked him to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $4.275 million.
But last season didn't go according to plan either. He began the campaign on Ottawa’s top line with Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle, and there was hope he could return to the offensive form he showed in San Jose.
Instead, he finished with 17 goals and 33 points while playing all 82 games, and ended up averaging 12:54 of ice time per night. That was a career low, and by season’s end he was on Ottawa’s fourth line.
The playoffs weren’t much better. Zetterlund was held off the scoresheet in four games against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The stakes only rose for the Karlstad, Sweden, native this summer. The Senators traded Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, and then flipped the centrepiece ninth-overall pick from that deal to San Jose for Eklund.
The two Swedes became close friends after Zetterlund arrived in San Jose in 2023, and their best seasons came together. In 2023-24, then-coach David Quinn put them on a line with Mikael Granlund. Zetterlund set career highs with 24 goals and 44 points, leading the Sharks in goals and playing all 82 games. Eklund, in his first full NHL season, had 16 goals and 45 points in 80 games, finishing second in team scoring.
They were linemates again in 2024-25. Zetterlund had 17 goals and 36 points in 64 games before the trade to Ottawa, and Eklund went on to a career-high 58 points in 77 games.
Now, that production came on one of the worst regular-season teams in modern NHL history. The 2023-24 Sharks went 19-54-9 for 47 points, which is the lowest total for an 82-game season since the league began awarding a point for overtime and shootout losses. On a team like that, top-line minutes and power-play time were easier to come by.
Still, Zetterlund and Eklund have played their best hockey together. That’s what general manager Steve Staios and the Senators’ pro scouting department are counting on. If Eklund can also spark Zetterlund to be the scoring winger they’ve lacked, suddenly the Senators are in pretty good shape.
There remains a case for Zetterlund beyond the chemistry with Eklund. His 155 hits ranked fourth on the team last season. He has a good shot, he goes to the corners and drives the net. The issue is consistency, as in Ottawa he's been a streaky scorer whose long droughts can be frustrating to watch.
His leash may also be short because Ottawa has other winger options, and help is coming fast.
Ridly Greig will sit out the first two games of the season. The NHL suspended him for roughing Hurricanes defenceman Sean Walker in Ottawa's final playoff game. He’s coming off career highs in assists and points, with 13 goals and 35 points in 77 games, and the Senators signed him to a four-year, $13-million extension in January.
Then there's André Burakovsky. Ottawa acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2027 sixth-round pick. He had 11 goals and 33 points in 75 games last season, which included a hot start of 29 points in his first 38 games while playing on Connor Bedard’s wing. Burakovsky is dealing with an upper-body injury but practised in a non-contact jersey Friday.
Warren Foegele will be filling in for Burakovsky in his expected spot on the top line, alongside Stützle and Drake Batherson. He recorded eight points in 21 games after the Senators acquired him at last season’s trade deadline.
Once everyone is healthy, someone will have to be pushed down the lineup, or out of it altogether. On opening night, Ottawa’s fourth line will be made up of Nick Cousins, Stephen Halliday, and Hayden Hodgson on opening night.
That gives Zetterlund two games before Greig is eligible, and perhaps not much longer before Burakovsky is ready.
The Senators don't need Zetterlund to be a star. They need him to be the consistent finisher they thought they were paying for. If he can't get going early alongside his best friend, the job won't wait for him.
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