Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (95) celebrates at the bench after scoring a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

The Canucks’ top scorer now plays for the Maple Leafs

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | By Old Prof | Last updated Jan 4, 2026 11:38 PM ET

If irony were a hockey statistic, the Vancouver Canucks would be leading the league. This year, the guy racking up the most points on the Canucks’ books isn’t even in Vancouver. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, bought out back in 2023, is now with the Toronto Maple Leafs and has 25 points in 40 games — the same amount as Elias Pettersson, who actually plays for Vancouver.

Yet the Canucks are still writing him a check for nearly $4.8M not to play for them. That’s more than the cap hit he carries in Toronto, which only adds to the absurdity.

Canucks fans are watching their team struggle, and…

It’s the sort of goofy hockey “thing” that makes you wonder. Fans are watching their team struggle at the bottom of the league in goals scored, while a player they paid to leave the franchise is putting up bigger numbers than anyone they have on their own team.

Ekman-Larsson has quietly put up seven goals and 25 points, and he’s right there with the league’s best defensemen at five-on-five. The Canucks’ top even-strength scorer? Linus Karlsson, with 16. The contrast is sharp, almost comically cruel. The best offensive production on the books is coming from someone in another jersey entirely.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson has also made Sweden’s Olympic team

And it isn’t just the numbers. Ekman-Larsson has been rewarded for his form with a spot on Sweden’s Olympic team. It’s a reminder to Canucks fans that he’s not only productive but thriving. Meanwhile, Vancouver continues to pay for a past problem. While the contract seemed reasonable at the time, it now looks more like a punchline in cap management.

That’s where the irony really sets in. The buyout was meant to open up room and give the roster some breathing space, and it did help for a bit. But here we are a few years later, still paying the bill while Ekman-Larsson’s game keeps pointing out the holes in Vancouver’s lineup.

Hockey contracts are strange, but a player’s production can be stranger yet

Hockey contracts can be strange, but this one takes it to a new level. Ekman-Larsson is succeeding, Vancouver is struggling and the payroll math only underscores the absurdity.

The situation is an odd sort of reminder that money and talent don’t always line up. Sometimes the player you pay to leave ends up being the team’s best offensive weapon anyway. For Canucks fans, it’s painful. For anyone with a taste for irony, it’s the perfect case study.

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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