Ottawa reacted immediately: huge trade in the NHL – surprising Finnish talent involved!

Ottawa Senators prepared a major trade with the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. The team has acquired young forwards Kasper Halttunen and William Eklund from the Sharks.

In return, San Jose receives the player rights of forward prospect Brandon Svoboda, known from Boston University, as well as the ninth overall pick in the first round of next summer’s NHL draft.

Halttunen is a 21-year-old forward who has impressed in the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda. This season, he scored 16 goals and 19 assists (35 points) in 69 games. He found the net once in two playoff games. He is still awaiting his NHL debut.

Eklund, 23, has been one of the Sharks’ star players in recent years. In his fifth season in San Jose, he played 78 games and recorded 15 goals and 38 assists for a total of 53 points.

The trade opens up a whole new opportunity for the Sharks in next weekend’s NHL draft. The Sharks’ first-round picks for next summer are now second and ninth overall. The expected second name in the draft, Ivan Stenberg, would be a very logical replacement for Eklund, who is leaving for Ottawa. The ninth pick can now be used by the team for their biggest need, which is a defenseman.

This trade marks the Senators’ second significant move in a short period. The team recently parted ways with captain Brady Tkachuk, sending him to the Florida Panthers in exchange for the ninth overall draft pick, which has just moved to San Jose.