The Sharks now have three first-round picks in Friday’s 2026 NHL Draft, and that’s because they just shipped out a former top selection.
San Jose has traded forwards William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda to the Ottawa Senators for the No. 9 overall pick in Friday’s draft.
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We’ve acquired the 9th overall selection from the Senators in exchange for forwards William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen, and Brandon Svoboda.
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) June 23, 2026
The Sharks now have the No. 2, No. 9 and No. 27 selections in the first round.
It’s the second trade the Sharks have made in recent weeks involving a first-round selection.
Last Wednesday, San Jose sent the No. 20 overall selection to the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Michael Kesselring and the No. 27 pick.
Eklund was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and established himself as an everyday player during the 2023-24 season.
In three full seasons and parts of two others, Eklund recorded 50 goals and 113 assists in 252 games. He was a minus-91 during his time in San Jose.
With three first-round picks in hand, it’s unclear whether general manager Mike Grier plans to use all of them Friday or package some of them for an established player. But he spoke to reporters on Tuesday and said there is legitimate interest in the No. 2 overall pick.
So Grier and the Sharks might not be done wheeling and dealing with roughly 72 hours until the draft.