Sens camp opened with a Swedish pal reunion as Travis Green kicked the tires on existing chemistry.
The first on-ice session of the Senators' 2026 training camp produced an immediate reunion on Thursday.
Head coach Travis Green opened camp Thursday with William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund on the same line.
The Swedish wingers' friendship became part of the story when the Sens acquired Zetterlund from San Jose at the 2025 trade deadline. The two were together in a sauna when Zetterlund learned he had been traded, and neither player was happy about parting ways.
From the moment the Sens acquired Eklund from the San Jose Sharks this summer, most everyone figured Green might try him with Zetterlund at some point to see if their chemistry extended to hockey.
When asked about his decision to pair them on day one, Green joked to reporters on Thursday that the outside pressure was just too much.
“I think I read somewhere that people said I should play him with him,” Green said. “So (I decided to) get it out of the way early.”
Green then quickly turned his attention to Eklund’s performance.
“He looked good, as advertised,” Green said. “You can see he’s got high-end skill. Really skates well.”
Eklund and Zetterlund have been paired for now with centre Dylan Cozens(lund).
Eklund said being reunited has made his transition to Ottawa easier, while Zetterlund said the two have already resumed hanging out almost every day.
By Friday, another line featured newcomer Andre Burakovsky alongside Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson. The two units even faced each other during a mini-scrimmage later in the session.
Could those trios represent the new top six to begin the season? Perhaps. But while Burakovsky and Zetterlund do have top-six NHL experience in the past, both had only 33 points last season. That's way behind Shane Pinto (46) and even behind Michael Amadio (35) and Ridley Greig (35).
So it's fair to expect more experimentation. A lot more. In fact, you can absolutely bank on it.
Regardless, Green’s job is to find combinations that work and help the Senators win, not to preserve friendship storylines.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
