Edmonton Oilers explored Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade, Toronto demanded 1st and 2nd
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Daniel Lucente
Mar 12, 2026 (3:56 PM)
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Photo credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
Elliotte Friedman says Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Toronto's $3.5 million defender, was an Edmonton Oilers target, and the price got heavy.
Ekman-Larsson is 34, a 2009 first-round pick by Arizona, and he is in Year 2 of a four-year contract that runs through 2027-28 at a $3.5 million cap hit.
That is why Friedman's detail lands. If Toronto wanted a first and a second, the Leafs were selling a top-four piece, not clearing money.
From Edmonton's side, the math was already moving. Stan Bowman paid a 2028 second for Connor Murphy at 50 percent retention, then moved a conditional 2027 first for Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach with Dickinson retained.
Add Ekman-Larsson at full freight, and the Oilers would have been forcing another $3.5 million into a roster already squeezed by the cap. That is a luxury move, not a deadline patch.
Re Oliver Ekman-Larsson: "I think they would've traded him if they got the 1st and the 2nd; I know Edmonton really liked him; the Leafs were very clear, they were not going to him unless they had reason to."
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
The on-ice fit was still real. Ekman-Larsson has 8-27-35 in 63 games, can move pucks out cleanly, and can settle a second pair when shifts get scrambled.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson was a fit, not a bargain
Oilers fans can live with missing on the name, but not on the bigger question, whether this blue line is finally hard enough for April.
Murphy answers that more directly. He is a right shot, kills penalties, blocks shots, and only cost a second because Chicago kept half of his $4.4 million ticket.
Dickinson also fits the same idea. He gives Edmonton a checking center at a reduced cap number, and Dach, 23, came in as a 2021 second-round pick by Chicago with RFA control.
The Oilers are 32-25-8 heading into Thursday against Dallas, with Connor McDavid at 36-74-110 and Leon Draisaitl at 34-60-94. This team needs cleaner defensive minutes behind its stars more than one more puck-mover.
So yes, Friedman's report makes sense for the Oilers. Ekman-Larsson would have helped, but Bowman chose spread-out support over one expensive swing, and that call starts getting judged Thursday night in Dallas.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 12|155 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers explored Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade, Toronto demanded 1st and 2nd Did Stan Bowman make the right call by passing on Oliver Ekman-Larsson? | ||
| Yes | 75 | 48.4 % |
| No | 80 | 51.6 % |
| List of polls | ||