William Eklund's Ankle Surgery Leaves the Senators' Roster on Life Support

The Ottawa Senators traded their captain, drafted a replacement plan, and just watched their shiny new offseason acquisition get shelved until the new year. According to Daily Faceoff, William Eklund is officially out 10-to-12 weeks with a torn tendon in his ankle.

Losing a top-six winger for three months is brutal for any franchise, but it stings extra when you just handed him a three-year, $16.8 million extension. Eklund took an awkward hit from Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Simon Benoit last week, and what started as an optimistic "extended absence" has officially graduated to a surgically repaired ankle.

"Daily Faceoff reported Eklund is out 10-to-12 weeks with a torn tendon in his ankle."

Eklund was supposed to be the centerpiece of the post-Brady Tkachuk era in Canada's capital. Ottawa flipped the ninth overall pick they got for Tkachuk to the San Jose Sharks just to bring Eklund in. He had two points in his first four games before going down, looking exactly like the guy who posted three straight 45-plus point seasons out west.

Now, the Senators' medical ward looks like an All-Star roster. With guys like Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub, and seemingly half the forward core already dealing with various ailments, Ottawa is going to have to start pulling fans out of the 100-level seating just to run a full practice.

If you are holding Ottawa futures or looking at their upcoming matchups against the New York Islanders and a rematch with the Flyers, you have to factor in the sheer volume of missing talent. Eklund will not be back until roughly January, leaving the Senators to figure out how to survive the winter with a lineup held together by athletic tape and pure vibes.