Senators forward William Eklund expected to miss 'extended' time due to ankle injury

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Ottawa Senators forward William Eklund will be out for an “extended” period of time with an ankle injury, coach Travis Green said Friday.

Eklund left Ottawa’s 2-1 win over visiting Philadelphia on Thursday night after taking a hit from defenseman Simon Benoit.

The 23-year-old Swede has a goal and an assist in four games this season.

Green did not have a specific timeline for Eklund’s return, but said he expects the forward back this season and doesn’t think he needs surgery.

“We don’t really talk about the guys who are out,” Green said. “We worry about our own game. The guys who are playing. I think we’re more than capable of winning games if we’ve got some players injured. We’ve done it before. It’s as simple as that.”

The Senators are off to a 3-1-0 start.

The Senators acquired Eklund in June as part of a package that sent the ninth pick in the 2026 NHL draft to San Jose.

Green added that injured defencemen Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub should rejoin the team in the next few days.

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