Maple Leafs Defenseman Ekman-Larsson Appears in 1,000-Year Career Game – Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson has now played 1,000 regular season NHL games in his 15-season career. The 33-year-old was drafted in the first round (No. 6) of the 2009 NHL Draft by the then Phoenix Coyotes. He spent 11 seasons with the franchise, covering 769 games. He was then traded to the Vancouver Canucks, where he played 133 games, before his contract was bought out. After one Stanley Cup winning season with the Florida Panthers, he signed with the Maple Leafs this past season.

Ekman-Larsson became one of the NHL's best defensemen during his time with the Coyotes. He made his NHL debut on Oct. 9, 2010, against the Boston Bruins where he logged 23:47 minutes of ice time. He scored his first NHL point in his seventh career game a few weeks later against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 23. He then scored his first NHL goal on Jan. 17, 2011, against the San Jose Sharks.

Ekman-Larsson posted a career-high 23 goals in the 2014-15 season with the Coyotes en route to his first career All-Star game nod. He built on his breakout season the following year, scoring 21 goals and a career-high 55 points. He finished his career in Arizona with 128 goals, 260 assists and 388 points. Traded to the Canucks along with forward Conor Garland on July 23, 2021, for Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, a 1st-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, a 2nd-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and a second-round pick -7 in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Ekman-Larsson struggled to find his footing in Vancouver, scoring just seven goals and 51 assists in his two seasons. After his contract was bought out on June 16, 2023, he signed a one-year contract with the Panthers. There, he resumed his career and played a key role in the team's bottom four on the way to winning the 2024 Stanley Cup.

After his breakout season, Ekman-Larsson signed a four-year, $14 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1, 2024. In 17 games so far this season, he has one goal and six assists while averaging over 21 minutes per game.