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Maple Leafs Lose Yet Another Key Player Due to Injury, This Time on the Blueline

Originally posted on Maple Leafs Daily
By Ryan Smitheram | Last updated Feb 1, 2025 9:49 PM ET

The Maple Leafs were forced to go down to five defencemen in Edmonton on Saturday after Oliver Ekman-Larsson left the game with an unknown injury and did not return.

Matthew Knies and John Tavares made their triumphant returns to the lineup on Saturday in Edmonton, giving the Leafs as close to a complete lineup as they have had all season.

Unfortunately, that didn't last long as the Leafs were forced to play the entire second period without veteran defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

According to The Hockey New's David Alter, Ekman-Larsson was not on the bench to begin the period and did not return.

The loss of Ekman-Larsson comes on the heels of Jani Hakanpaa pulling out of the Four Nation's Face-Off due to his knee injury earlier in the day on Saturday, meaning that the Leafs' defensive depth is about to be tested.

At the time of writing, the injury to Ekman-Larsson is unknown and it would be a surprise to see him return to the game given how careful and cautious the Leafs have been with injuries this season.

While we won't get any significant update from Leafs head coach Craig Berube following the game, we should at least have some clarity as to the nature of the injury (upper-body or lower-body).

The Stanley Cup Champion joined the Leafs on a four-year deal days after celebrating the Florida Panthers' Cup victory and has been surprisingly effective in the Leafs' top-four this season.

This article first appeared on Maple Leafs Daily and was syndicated with permission.

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