Oliver Ekman-Larsson wasn’t supposed to be this important but now he is the Maple Leafs' Masterton nominee
Photo credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Oliver Ekman-Larsson's has officially triggered a value-reset for the Maple Leafs after a Masterton-worthy season that ensures his part in the 2027 rebuild.
At age-35, you would think Oliver Ekman-Larsson would be on the downswing of his career. In actuality he's played like he's a decade younger, and honestly been the Maple Leafs' most consistent and valuable defender all season.
He earned it too, with 38 points in 73 games — his highest total since 2018-19 when he had 44 as a member of the Coyotes. Not only that, but he found himself as part of Team Sweden for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, and while he didn't come away with a medal; it was a great honour nonetheless.
The recognition hasn't stopped there however as Ekman-Larsson's season has led him to be named the Maple Leafs' nominee for the Bill Masterton Award.
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.
A player from each team is nominated, and Ekman-Larsson joins the likes of Alexander Ovechkin, Gabriel Landeskog, Brad Marchand, Anze Kopitar, and Jonathan Toews.
The Oliver Ekman-Larsson resurgence and why he became the Maple Leafs' defensive anchor
It makes sense as to why Ekman-Larsson would be nominated, as not only has he put in a great effort at 35, but he's persevered through some pretty big injuries over his career and still puts in a top effort.
He's a locker room leader, is edgy though never malicious, and you don't get to over 1,100 games without some level of respect.
But he's genuinely been the best defender by a mile on the Maple Leafs. For a team who relies so heavily on Morgan Rielly and his inability to provide offence or defence on a consistent basis, Ekman-Larsson has been ever the opposite.
The team has had to navigate a very scary time with Rielly in the fold, and thankfully Ekman-Larsson came in last year to take the reins and run with them providing at least some stability. Many questioned it before but now it's paid off in spades.
He's scoring goals, he's running the power-play, he's averaging over 20 minutes a night — there's nothing he won't do and nowhere he can't play.
Without him, it's hard to know where the team would be considering who else they have employed. Nothing against names like Troy Stecher or Brandon Carlo but they are nowhere near the ilk of someone like OEL. He's the anchor trying to keep them steady even if the ship was flying through rough waters all season.
Why the Masterton nomination proves Ekman-Larsson is a vital part of the 2027 rebuild
As Keith Pelley and MLSE go scorched earth with the roster changes this summer, there's no reason to not keep him around when he provides such a benefit overall.
He's signed to a reasonable deal ($3.5-million), is still able to provide you second and third pairing defence, and is going to be a huge mentor for guys coming in.
To names like Ben Danford, John Prokop, William Villeneuve, Marshall Rifai, Noah Chadwick, Cade Webber — all these rookies — Ekman-Larsson is their sage. It's not too often you have the luxury of finding a veteran of over 1,000 games who is still capable of producing.
The award exemplifies 'the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey' and if anyone can fit that to a tee it's Ekman-Larsson.
He's persevered through a team relocation (albeit in the same state), went through multiple career-threatening injuries, had three horrible seasons in Vancouver where people questioned his ability, and he did it all with that cheeky grin on his face every single night.
That's the type of person you need as part of the locker room come 2027 because there are certainly going to be a lot of changes, so adding a stable anchor in the mix could at least help things from drifting too far off course.
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| POLL | ||
AVRIL 8|560 ANSWERS Oliver Ekman-Larsson wasn’t supposed to be this important but now he is the Maple Leafs' Masterton nominee Should Oliver Ekman-Larsson be awarded the Bill Masterton Award? | ||
| Yes | 401 | 71.6 % |
| No | 159 | 28.4 % |
| List of polls | ||