Oliver Ekman-Larsson would be a logical trade candidate for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Two things are hanging in the balance, though.
First is the fact that Toronto could catch fire out of the Olympic break and opt not to be sellers. That may not be extremely likely amid a bumpy season, but it’s not out of the question.
The second is that Ekman-Larsson’s trade value was not helped by the Olympics.
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Despite being a talented, experienced NHL defenseman, Ekman-Larsson was the seventh-most played defensive player for Sweden. That included a game when he was active but not given a single shift.
Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin writes that Ekman-Larsson’s trade stock is down after that.
“It wasn’t necessarily Ekman-Larsson’s fault,” Larkin writes. “None of us could’ve predicted coach Sam Hallam would all-out bench ‘OEL’ for a game given the outstanding season he’s had. He played just 10:27 per game in the tourney, seventh-most among Tre Kronor blueliners. His trade value remains pretty high as a Stanley Cup champion with a well-rounded game and a couple years left on his contract at an affordable $3.5-million cap hit, but the Olympic tourney did him no favors.”
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The good news is that teams will still be able to look at exactly what Ekamn-Larsson has done all season for Toronto as evidence that he’s still probably worth trading for.
But his Olympic limitations, imposed by the Sweden coaching staff, raise at least a question about what OEL can really provide to a new team.
First, the Maple Leafs will try one last bit to turn things around.
If they don’t, we’ll find out where Ekman-Larsson’s trade value really is.
