The Maple Leafs’ blue line has been messy enough early on that the conversation keeps circling back to the same place: who can they actually move, and who should go first?
While the talk around Toronto has mostly focused on Morgan Rielly or prospects, the veteran who now looks like the most obvious trade candidate is Oliver Ekman-Larsson. His fall-off has been sharp, and with the defense struggling, his place on the roster is starting to look shaky.
Toronto’s start hasn’t been pretty. The defense has been leaky, the team has taken too many penalties, and the penalty kill has had to do a lot of the heavy lifting.
Goaltending has been fine, but it still hasn’t settled the discussion. If there’s one area that stands out most, it’s the back end.
Darren Raddysh has been solid. Jake McCabe is doing his job.
Troy Stecher has found a role as a key part of the penalty kill. But Morgan Rielly hasn’t impressed, and Chris Tanev is out again.
Ekman-Larsson, though, has been the biggest disappointment of all.
That’s what makes this such a sudden turn. Over the past two seasons, OEL was a valuable piece - not just as an offensive driver, but as a defender whose stick-checking and awareness were real assets. This season, that version has barely shown up.
Through 10 games, he hasn’t recorded a point. He’s a minus-3, has only six blocks, and has piled up 12 giveaways against just two takeaways. He’s fourth on the team in defensive-zone giveaways, leads the team with 14 PIM, and owns a 0.05 Expected Goals/60 - a number worse than Bo Groulx, Brandon Duhaime, Teddy Blueger and Zack McEwen.
Whatever the reason, he hasn’t looked close to the player Toronto had recently. It may be an injury issue or something else, especially after he left two games earlier this year. But the urgency is obvious.
Last season told a much different story. It took him four games to get his first points, and he broke out with a three-point night. After that, he posted points in seven of his next 11 games and was one of the few bright spots in a rough season.
The bigger problem now is whether Toronto can even get off the contract. Last year, there were rumblings that Ekman-Larsson could have fetched as much as a first-round pick at the deadline. That kind of value is nowhere near the conversation now, and the team’s failure to sell high on its pieces can be chalked up to another Brad Treliving mistake.
Ekman-Larsson is signed through this season and 2027-28 at a cap hit of $3.5 million. That’s workable when he’s producing. It’s a different story when he’s giving Toronto very little.
There are still 74 games left, so a turnaround is possible. But if the current form holds, the Maple Leafs may be staring at the end of his run in Toronto. If not immediately, then sometime this year.
The complication is obvious: he also has a 16-team no-trade clause, which makes the path forward even harder. If Toronto wants out, it may have to eat another bad contract or attach him to a deal built around moving someone else.
For now, the door is still open for Ekman-Larsson to steady himself. But the way Toronto’s season and blue line have started, that window may not stay open for long.
In Other News...
Auston Matthews Is Giving Maple Leafs Fans A New Captaincy Debate
Auston Matthews has looked at his captaincy differently this season, and it has given Maple Leafs fans something else to debate beyond the usual questions about his production and the teams ceiling. There is a sense that his leadership has become more deliberate, both in how he carries himself with the media and in the way he handles his role on the ice, which has made the early read on this season feel a little different than in years past.
One thread worth watching is whether that change is happening in a vacuum or with some help from around the organization. Mats Sundins presence has been floated as a possible influence on Matthews approach, though nothing about that is confirmed, and the broader point is simpler: Matthews may just be settling into the job on his own terms. For a captain under constant scrutiny in Toronto, even a subtle shift in demeanor can turn into a meaningful storyline fast. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Suddenly Have A Jake McCabe Concern They Cant Ignore
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The concern for the Leafs is obvious because McCabe is such a steady part of their blue line, and any facial injury brings an immediate layer of uncertainty. Head coach Jim Hiller is expected to provide an update, but for now Toronto is left hoping the situation is not as damaging as it looked in the moment. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Blue Line Trouble Just Made This Erik Karlsson Rumor Real
Torontos injury pileup on the blue line has pushed the Maple Leafs into a familiar place this time of year, searching for help and trying to figure out whether a move can steady the back end before the situation gets worse. That search has now sharpened around Erik Karlsson, with reports linking Toronto to the Penguins defenseman as the club weighs how a high-end puck mover would fit into a lineup that has been stretched thin.
Karlsson is still producing offense in Pittsburgh, which is part of why the rumor has real legs, and the fit is easy enough to imagine for a Leafs team looking for immediate impact. The harder part is the price, and nothing has been settled yet, but this is the kind of conversation that tends to get louder once injuries force a contender to explore every possible option. [Read more 🡒]