Zetterlund reveals Close Bond with Former Sharks Teammate Eklund, Reflects on โGrowthโค Senceโ Trade
OTTAWA – Ottawaโ Senators forwardโ Tim Stรผtzle revealed a closeโฃ friendship with San jose Sharks โฃforward William Eklund, expressing excitement about โaโฃ planned dinner with his former teammate tonight,โข November 21, 2025 – their firstโค meeting since the summer. The conversation highlighted Zetterlund’s personal growth since being traded from โขthe Sharks to the Senators last โฃseason โand his current focus โขon contributing toโ a winning team.
The pair’sโฃ connection underscores the impact of personal relationships within theโ NHL, even as โplayers navigate tradesโค and competing schedules. While acknowledging the difficulty of maintaining consistent contact due to differing team schedules and time โฃzone changes, Zetterlund emphasized their efforts to stay โconnected. “We try to talk a lot. It’s hard,โ we โplay on different schedules, and also the time โchange and stuff. It’s a little bit different, but we try to talk a โคlot if we can,”โฃ he saeid.
Zetterlund also discussed his aspirations for Olympicโข participation, stating,โ “I would be โฃexcited. Itโข would โฃbe one of the coolest experiences in my โlife. To play in the Olympics would be really fun. If I’m there andโค he’s there, that will be great.โ Iโ hope Sweden wins.”
Reflectingโค on his progress as a โplayer, Zetterlundโค acknowledged his desire toโ increase his โฃoffensive production but stressed the importance of maintaining a positiveโข mindset. โ”I want to โฃscore โขmore, but at theโ end โขof the โday,โข I’m a human being that has feelings too. I just wantedโ to go out there and play my โคgame-if I do that right, I know everything will come,โ soโ I’mโ not panicking or anything,” he explained. โHeโข reiterated hisโฃ commitment to teamโค success, adding, “We stillโข getโ the wins done, and I try โฃtoโค do myโค best out โฃthere to helpโ the team win games. That’s my main โขfocus, andโข everything else willโ come.”
Looking ahead to upcoming matchups, โZetterlund sharedโฃ insights on how โto defend against Vancouver Canucks prospect Macklin โCelebrini, advising teammates to “beโค close โto him. You have to take โฃaway โtime โand space from him. We know he can โshoot,he canโ do it all out there,so we just โขhave โto be close to him.”
Zetterlund contrasted his โcurrentโ experience with โthe Senators – a team in playoff contentionโ – to his time with โthe Sharks. “I was โexcited,without a doubt. It was fun to win games. I mean,โค that’s why everyone plays-we want toโ win, and when we don’t it’s not fun. It was fun without a doubtโ to get โขto โa team โthat was pushing for the playoffs, got โคinto the playoffs, and played playoff โhockey.”
