Ekman-Larsson praises Treliving, sees 'chance to do something special' with Maple Leafs
Published
Oliver Ekman-Larsson started his NHL career in Arizona back in 2010 and the relationships he built in those days in Phoenix helped him make his final decision as a free agent.
The veteran defenceman inked a four-year, $14 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1, reuniting him with former Coyotes assistant general manager Brad Treliving and former captain Shane Doan, an assistant to Treliving in Toronto.
“I don’t want to sound like I’m sucking up to him, but Brad is one unbelievable person,” Ekman-Larsson told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports. “I don’t think Toronto knows how lucky they are to have a guy like that who cares a lot about his surroundings and organization and players.
“And then the other guy, he’s okay, too. He meant so much to me with what he did for me when I was a kid in Arizona. Playing with a guy like that — I wish everybody had the chance to be around a guy like Doaner.”
Ekman-Larsson has seen the highs and lows of being an NHL player in recent years. In June 2023, the Vancouver Canucks bought him out of the final four years of his contract after two tough seasons.
He signed a one-year deal with the Florida Panthers on July 1, 2023, and had a bounce-back regular season, scoring nine goals with 32 points in 80 games while averaging 18:23 minutes of ice time. More importantly, he helped the team win its first Stanley Cup title in franchise history and the first of his career.
Prior to the 2023-24 season, Ekman-Larsson had only skated in the postseason twice, both occasions with the Coyotes in 2011-12 (16 games) and 2019-20 (nine games). At 982 career NHL games, he is the eighth defenceman in NHL history to win his first title after appearing in at least 980 contests.
The 33-year-old blueliner admits it was a strange feeling celebrating with the Panthers and then signing with Toronto eight days later.
“It’s so weird,” said Ekman-Larsson. “You just won the Cup with a team that you have been battling with for a year and love so much and have so much respect for — the whole organization with what they have done for me personally — so it wasn’t an easy decision. I am a guy that always tries to go with my gut feeling and when Toronto showed interest I got that feeling that this is what I wanted to do, and this is what we wanted to do as a family.
“I’ve always liked coming in there as an away team, playing in that building. It’s always special. Obviously, there’s a lot of history in the organization and I feel like they have a really good team that has a chance to do something special as well. I think it’s a good fit.”