Fabian Zetterlund was shocked late final week when the San Jose Sharks abruptly despatched him to the Ottawa Senators shortly earlier than the NHL commerce deadline.
Now that he’s along with his new staff, one within the combine for a playoff spot, Zetterlund is keen to get going.
“I’m ready,” Zetterlund advised reporters on Sunday, a day earlier than he makes his Senators debut at house in opposition to the Detroit Crimson Wings. “I feel great. I’m looking forward to stepping on the ice tomorrow and it’s going to be fun.”
Not anticipating to be among the many Sharks gamers moved, Zetterlund mentioned he had simply stepped out of a red-light sauna noon Friday when he discovered he had been traded to the Senators.
“I came out and I saw that my phone had blown up so that’s how I found out,” Zetterlund mentioned after skating on the Canadian Tire Centre simply exterior Ottawa.
Zetterlund wasn’t the one one caught off guard.
A number of Sharks gamers on Saturday spoke about how robust it was to lose the 25-year-old ahead, who figured to be an necessary a part of the staff’s rebuild.
A pending unrestricted free agent, Zetterlund, because the begin of the 2023-24 season, Zetterlund had 41 targets and 80 factors in 146 video games in San Jose. He was acquired as a part of the Feb. 2023 deal that despatched Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils.
In Friday’s deal, the Sharks obtained forwards Zack Ostapchuk and Noah Gregor and a 2025 second-round draft decide. San Jose additionally despatched minor league ahead Tristen Robins and its 2025 fourth-round draft choice to the Senators.
Ostapchuk is seen because the Sharks’ future third-line middle, and Gregor is on an expiring contract. How the Sharks plan to fill the outlet of their prime six ahead group left by Zetterlund’s absence is unclear and sure won’t be solved within the coming weeks.
“I know our players just lost a really important teammate, a brother, and that’s tough. That’s really tough,” Sharks coach Warsofsky mentioned Saturday. “We’ve got to push forward and finish this season off the right way and have an understanding that there is a business side of that really sucks.”
The Sharks and Zetterlund had some contract talks however didn’t seem near a deal. Nonetheless, Sharks common supervisor Mike Grier mentioned the dearth of an settlement with Zetterlund was not purpose he and Steve Staios, the Senators’ GM and president of hockey operations, started speaking a couple of commerce.
“Steve and I had some conversations throughout (Friday) and we had some back-and-forth,” Grier mentioned. “It was a difficult trade on both sides. It was good to work with Stevie on it.”
The Zetterlund commerce got here after a Sharks’ highway journey wherein goalie Vitek Vanecek and middle Nico Sturm have been moved to the Florida Panthers, and Jake Walman was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers. Simply earlier than the Zetterlund deal was made on Friday, Luke Kunin was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“It was a long trip. A lot of guys brought big suitcases and stuff,” Zetterlund mentioned of the environment across the Sharks earlier than the deadline. “But it’s a business and things happen quick.”
From San Jose’s perspective, the important thing to the deal was primarily the 21-year-old Ostapchuk, a 2021 second-round decide by the Senators who’s listed at 6-foot-4 and 212 kilos.
“It probably took so long because of what we think about Fabian and what they felt about (Ostapchuk),” Grier mentioned. “Sometimes when you have those things it’s not easy for either side to part with a player. It took a little bit of time, but we worked it out.”
The Senators, seeking to finish a seven-year playoff drought, entered Sunday with 69 factors and within the first wild card spot within the Jap Convention. The ultimate two or three playoff spots possible won’t be finalized till proper earlier than the top of the common season.
As he begins to settle in along with his new staff, Zetterlund is fired as much as be a part of a playoff chase. The indication is that he’ll begin his Senators’ tenure in a fourth-line position.
“I want to bring my game,” Zetterlund mentioned. “I have to be hard on pucks, get around the net and (score).”
Initially Revealed: March 9, 2025 at 5:56 PM PDT
