PuckSleuth
95Toronto Maple Leafs · Defense · Shoots L
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Age 35 · 6'2" · 191 lb · Born in Karlskrona, SWE
Cap hit
$3.5M
3.4% of $104M cap
Term
2 yrs
Through 2027-28, then UFA
Clause
M-NTC
16-team no-trade list
Surplus value
+$4.276M
vs. $7.776M market estimate
Confirmed by the public signing announcement · source
2026-27 regular season
GP
2
Goals
0
0.0% shooting
Assists
0
0 primary
Points
0
0.00 per game
TOI/GP
16:49
PP 0:02 · PK 1:59
xGF%
46.5
5v5, -0.9 vs. last yr
Game Score
-0.22
per game, goals above average
Faceoff %
—
Plus/minus
+1
Blocks 3 · Hits 2
Game log
Last 5 games · NHL API
| Game | G | A | SOG | HIT | BLK | TOI | PP | PK | FO | OZS% | GV | TK | +/- | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30 vs NYI · W 2-1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 15:30 | 0:03 | 2:41 | — | 83 | 0 | 0 | +1 | -0.10 |
| Sep 29 vs MTL · L 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18:07 | 0:00 | 1:17 | — | 67 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -0.34 |
| Apr 15 @ OTT · L 3-1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 21:04 | 2:28 | 0:00 | — | 57 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -0.53 |
| Apr 13 vs DAL · L 6-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 22:30 | 2:53 | 0:59 | — | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -0.22 |
| Apr 11 vs FLA · L 6-2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 21:02 | 0:21 | 0:00 | — | 57 | 1 | 0 | -1 | +0.03 |
GS = our Game Score, goals above average. FO = faceoffs won-lost. OZS% = share of his 5v5 offensive and defensive zone faceoff starts that were in the offensive zone. GV/TK = giveaways/takeaways.
Advanced metrics
5v5 unless noted · 2025-26 · 1,346 min · percentile vs. NHL defensemen
34th percentile
74th percentile
19th percentile
27th percentile
81st percentile
28th percentile
57th percentile
40th percentile
20th percentile
58th percentile
87th percentile
56th percentile
78th percentile
81st percentile
xGF% is his team's share of 5v5 expected goals while he was on the ice, from our own expected goals model; HDCF% counts only high-danger chances (xG of 0.15 or more). IPP is the share of his team's 5v5 goals while he was on the ice that he scored or assisted on. Relative stats compare him with his team when he was off the ice. Goals above expected and ixG/60 use his own shots at all strengths. PDO and OZS% describe luck and deployment, so their bars are grey.
Play styleDefensive catalyst
Trait percentiles vs. NHL defensemen · 2025-26
Ekman-Larsson is a high-volume defensive force who shuts down opponents and triggers counterattacks through elite positioning. He plays with restraint on the forecheck and rarely loses the puck, though his limited mobility and heavy perimeter shot diet hold back his offensive upside.
- Shooting volume
- 63
- Playmaking
- 66
- Zone entries(est.)
- 56
- Forechecking
- 71
- Physicality
- 34
- Defensive impact
- 74
- Puck management
- 6
- Speed
- 34
Where he shoots from
Slot 5% · Mid-range 26% · Perimeter 69%(161 unblocked shots)
Strengths
- Defensive impact at 74th percentile anchors his two-way value
- Forechecking at 71st percentile drives puck recovery and transition
- Playmaking at 66th percentile sets up quality scoring chances
Watch-outs
- Puck management at 6th percentile causes turnovers and lost possession
- Speed and physicality both at 34th percentile limit enforcement
- Perimeter-heavy shot diet at 69% reduces dangerous scoring chances
Similar style: Mattias Ekholm (EDM), Mason Lohrei (BOS)
Built from play-by-play, shift data, and NHL EDGE tracking. Zone entries is an estimate (rush chances while he is on the ice) until tracking data is added.
Where his Game Score comes from
2025-26 · 78 GP · goals above average
Season total -1.6 goals, or -0.02 per game.
- Even strength offense
- -0.5
- Even strength defense
- -0.7
- Power play
- -0.4
- Penalty kill
- -0.4
- Finishing
- +2.8
- Playmaking
- +0.2
- Penalties
- -2.7
Game Score adds up a player's impact in goals compared with an average player given the same ice time: his share of expected goals for and against at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill, plus finishing (goals minus expected goals), primary assists, penalties drawn and taken, and faceoffs. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.
Career stats
From the NHL's player records
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | PPP | SHG | GWG | SOG | S% | TOI | FO% | GS/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | Phoenix Coyotes | 48 | 1 | 10 | 11 | +3 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 2.0 | 15:02 | — | — |
| 2011-12 | Phoenix Coyotes | 82 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 0 | 32 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 147 | 8.8 | 22:07 | — | — |
| 2012-13 | Phoenix Coyotes | 48 | 3 | 21 | 24 | +5 | 26 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 101 | 3.0 | 25:06 | — | — |
| 2013-14 | Phoenix Coyotes | 80 | 15 | 29 | 44 | -4 | 50 | 8 | 22 | 0 | 6 | 199 | 7.5 | 25:54 | — | — |
| 2014-15 | Arizona Coyotes | 82 | 23 | 20 | 43 | -18 | 40 | 10 | 20 | 1 | 7 | 264 | 8.7 | 25:13 | — | — |
| 2015-16 | Arizona Coyotes | 75 | 21 | 34 | 55 | -6 | 96 | 12 | 27 | 0 | 8 | 228 | 9.2 | 24:46 | — | — |
| 2016-17 | Arizona Coyotes | 79 | 12 | 27 | 39 | -25 | 48 | 8 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 145 | 8.3 | 24:37 | — | — |
| 2017-18 | Arizona Coyotes | 82 | 14 | 28 | 42 | -28 | 44 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 202 | 6.9 | 23:41 | — | — |
| 2018-19 | Arizona Coyotes | 81 | 14 | 30 | 44 | -16 | 52 | 5 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 176 | 8.0 | 23:38 | — | — |
| 2019-20 | Arizona Coyotes | 66 | 9 | 21 | 30 | -3 | 38 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 135 | 6.7 | 23:01 | — | — |
| 2020-21 | Arizona Coyotes | 46 | 3 | 21 | 24 | -17 | 32 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 3.6 | 20:58 | — | — |
| 2021-22 | Vancouver Canucks | 79 | 5 | 24 | 29 | +5 | 52 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 168 | 3.0 | 22:19 | — | — |
| 2022-23 | Vancouver Canucks | 54 | 2 | 20 | 22 | -24 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 2.2 | 20:11 | — | -0.03 |
| 2023-24 | Florida Panthers | 80 | 9 | 23 | 32 | +10 | 76 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 123 | 7.3 | 18:24 | — | +0.04 |
| 2024-25 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 77 | 4 | 25 | 29 | +14 | 52 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 118 | 3.4 | 21:04 | — | -0.05 |
| 2025-26 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 78 | 8 | 31 | 39 | -6 | 70 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 7.4 | 20:36 | — | -0.02 |
| 2026-27 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 16:55 | — | -0.22 |
| Career | 17 seasons | 1140 | 156 | 383 | 539 | -110 | 756 | 61 | 199 | 4 | 36 | 2340 | 6.7 | 22:29 | — |
Seasons traded mid-year show one row per team. GS/GP is our Game Score per game.
Usage
Last game: vs NYI, Sep 30
Pair 3 with Troy Stecher (8:28 together at 5-on-5)
From the NHL's shift chart.
Latest news
Headlines from news outlets and team blogs
No news about him in the last 30 days.
Sentiment & chatter
Fans
—
Beat writers
—
Media
—
Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.
Recent Game Scores
Last 10 games · goals above average
Average -0.20 per game over these 10.
Skating · NHL EDGE
2026-27, as of Oct 2
- Top speed
- 20.6 mph
- 78th pct
- 20+ mph bursts
- 1
- Hardest shot
- 87.6 mph
- 85th pct
- Distance
- 5.0 mi
- OZ time
- 42.0%
- 58th pct
- DZ time
- 41.9%
Age curve
NHL defensemen · production index
At 35, defensemen typically produce 67% of their peak (age 24). His contract runs through age 36, when the typical level is 62%.
From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.
Contract by season
2 seasons left
| Season | Team | Cap hit | % of cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | TOR | $3.5M | 3.4% |
| 2027-28 | TOR | $3.5M | 3.1% |
UFA after 2027-28. M-NTC (16-team list). $7M in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).