Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson has now performed in 1,000 common season NHL video games throughout his 15-season profession. The 33-year-old was drafted within the first spherical (No. 6) of the 2009 NHL Draft by the then-Phoenix Coyotes. He spent 11 seasons with the franchise, totaling 769 video games. He was then traded to the Vancouver Canucks, the place he performed 133 video games, earlier than getting his contract purchased out. After one season and a Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers, he signed with the Maple Leafs this previous offseason.
Ekman-Larsson grew to become one of many NHL’s most distinguished defensemen throughout his time with the Coyotes. He made his NHL debut on Oct. 9, 2010, towards the Boston Bruins the place he registered 23:47 minutes of ice time. He scored his first NHL level in his seventh profession sport simply weeks later towards the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 23. He then scored his first NHL purpose on Jan. 17, 2011, towards the San Jose Sharks.
Ekman-Larsson posted a career-high in targets (23) through the 2014-15 season with the Coyotes en path to his first profession All-Star sport nod. He constructed on his breakout season the yr after, posting 21 targets and a career-high 55 factors. He completed his profession in Arizona with 128 targets, 260 assists, and 388 factors. He was traded to the Canucks together with ahead Conor Garland on July 23, 2021, for Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, a 1st-round choose within the 2021 NHL Draft, a 2nd-round choose within the 2022 NHL Draft, and a Seventh-round choose within the 2023 NHL Draft.
Ekman-Larsson struggled to seek out his footing in Vancouver, scoring simply seven targets and 51 assists in his two seasons. After having his contract purchased out on June 16, 2023, he signed a one-year, prove-it contract with the Panthers. There, he had a profession resurgence and performed a vital position within the group’s bottom-four en path to successful the 2024 Stanley Cup.
Following his breakout, Ekman-Larsson signed a four-year, $14 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1, 2024. In 17 video games thus far this season, he has one purpose and 6 assists whereas averaging over 21 minutes per sport.
