What does a successful 2024-25 season look like for Oliver Ekman-Larsson?

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Oliver Ekman-Larsson to a four-year contract in the 2024 offseason as part of what was a total reshaping of their defensive corps.

Led by the trade and subsequent signing of Chris Tanev to a six-year contract, general manager Brad Treliving made it clear that he wanted a different look on defence and prioritized players with a combination of size and the ability to make a clean breakout pass. Ekman-Larsson, who stands at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, fit both of these categories, and given his successful ‘bet on himself’ campaign with the Florida Panthers in 2023-24 following a contract buyout, he was in a position where the Leafs were able to get him at a reasonable number with term.

While there were certainly points in 2024-25 where Ekman-Larsson struggled defensively or made a poor decision, I’d be inclined to call his first season with the Maple Leafs a success, overall. He finished the season with 29 points in 77 games and scored a couple of big goals for the Maple Leafs in the playoffs, including the team’s first goal to open the scoring in Game 1 against the Ottawa Senators. He also stepped into the quarterback role on the top power play unit while Morgan Rielly was struggling and gave them a good shot from the point, an area that they noticeably struggled with while the power play was in a slump.

He mostly played alongside Simon Benoit on the bottom pair, especially towards the end of the season, but he spent time all around the defensive corps. He took reps with Morgan Rielly on the top pair at times, he skated alongside Jake McCabe here and there, and also stood alongside Chris Tanev while McCabe was injured. As Jon Steitzer put it in Ekman-Larsson’s ‘year in review’ back in June, he was Craig Berube’s all-purpose defenceman last season. Every coach loves having a crop of veterans at their disposal who can be used in different situations, and while players like Tanev were used exclusively albeit heavily in defensive situations, Ekman-Larsson was essentially deployed wherever the Leafs needed him at the time.

When the playoffs came around, Tanev and McCabe had firmly established themselves as the team’s go-to shutdown pair and the acquisition of Brandon Carlo finally gave Rielly his forever partner. This left Ekman-Larsson on the bottom pair with Simon Benoit, where he struggled from an analytical standpoint. The pair had a Corsi-for rating of 39.78% in the playoffs, and were used sparingly in comparison to the Tanev-McCabe pair in shutdown situations. Puck possession be damned, though, Ekman-Larsson still made the best of his playoff experience. His two goals were half of his regular season output in five times fewer the games, and he was only on the ice for seven goals at 5-on-5 despite having the third-highest TOI of all Leafs defenceman.

Like Tanev, how his game ages is going to be something to keep an eye on with Ekman-Larsson as his contract progresses, but at 34 years old, he should have lots left in the tank as long as he can remain a strong skater. Keeping his responsibilities to a minimum when possible and allowing him the chance to thrive in low-pressure situations should be key to ensuring he has a successful 2025-26 season.

The goal: Keep your legs 

I alluded to it just above, but if Ekman-Larsson can preserve his speed to an extent and keep his conditioning strong, it will have a domino effect on the rest of his game. It’s much harder for a defenceman to play the way they want to and execute plays when they’re struggling to keep up with the pace of play, and as long as Ekman-Larsson can retain that part of his game, his breakout pass and hockey IQ won’t be going anywhere.

The expectation: Remain a secondary source of offence on Maple Leafs’ blue line

Ekman-Larsson had solid defensive numbers for what the Leafs asked of him last season, but what he’s able to do on the offensive side of the puck is what will keep him in the Maple Leafs’ lineup. If he can get his goal-scoring up closer to double digits and remain in the ballpark of 30 points, the Leafs will be getting their money’s worth out of his contract.