The Toronto Maple Leafs were dealt another tough blow on Wednesday night, and this one hits right at the heart of their blue line. Veteran defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson exited early in the game against the Detroit Red Wings and didn’t return - a troubling sign for a Leafs team already walking a tightrope in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The injury occurred in the first period during a puck battle in Detroit’s zone. Ekman-Larsson got tangled up with Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond, lost his footing, and fell awkwardly. He immediately made his way to the locker room, and not long after, the team ruled him out for the rest of the night.
This isn’t the first time this season that Ekman-Larsson has found himself on the wrong end of a physical play. Just last month, he was shaken up in a game against San Jose when Adam Gaudette fell on him along the boards. For a player who’s been logging big minutes and producing at a high level, the timing couldn’t be worse.
Before Wednesday’s game, Ekman-Larsson had been Toronto’s most productive defenseman - and it wasn’t particularly close. Through 49 games, he’d notched eight goals and 23 assists, good for 31 points. That kind of offensive output from the back end has been a key driver for the Leafs this season, especially with the team battling through injuries and inconsistency elsewhere in the lineup.
His strong form didn’t go unnoticed internationally either. Ekman-Larsson earned a spot on Sweden’s Olympic roster, where he’s expected to suit up alongside fellow Leaf William Nylander - though Nylander himself is currently sidelined indefinitely with a lower-body injury.
On the ice Wednesday, Toronto managed to push the game to overtime, but it was Detroit’s captain Dylan Larkin who sealed the deal with the game-winner. Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll was a bright spot, turning aside 39 shots in a performance that deserved a better fate. Still, the overtime loss allowed the Red Wings to widen the gap between the two clubs in the standings, moving nine points ahead of Toronto.
The Leafs did manage to salvage a point, but in a crowded playoff picture, moral victories don’t carry much weight. They now sit one point behind the idle Boston Bruins for the second wild card spot in the East - a razor-thin margin that underscores just how important every shift, every save, and every healthy body is down the stretch.
And that brings us back to Ekman-Larsson. The question now isn’t just how long he’ll be out - it’s how the Leafs plan to hold the line without him. He’s been a stabilizing force on the back end, a power-play contributor, and a veteran presence in a locker room that’s had to ride out more than a few storms this season.
Toronto’s defensive depth will be tested in the coming weeks, and with the playoff race heating up, there’s little margin for error. Whether it's leaning on younger blueliners or tweaking their defensive pairings, the Leafs will need to find a way to plug the hole - and fast.
For now, all eyes are on the injury report. Because if Ekman-Larsson is out for any significant stretch, the Leafs’ path to the postseason just got a whole lot steeper.