Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade talk tests Toronto Maple Leafs at 27-23-9 with first on table
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Daniel Lucente
Feb 28, 2026 (9:50)
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Photo credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
Bob Stauffer speculated a first-round pick is on the table for Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and that kind of talk can flip a season fast.
Ekman-Larsson has quietly been one of Toronto's steadiest blue line pieces in 2025-26.
Through 59 games he's sitting at 8-27-35, which is real offence from a guy mostly asked to keep plays alive and move pucks clean.
His cap hit is $3.5 million, and he's signed through 2027-28, so this is not a pure rental conversation.
That matters when you're shopping for help on the back end.
The key detail is what we do not know.
We do not know which team made the offer, so it could be anyone at this point, from a contender with an injury to a bubble club trying to buy respectability.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson puts the Toronto Maple Leafs in a bind
Leafs fans are torn right now, because a first-round pick sounds juicy, but watching the puck die on the blue line sounds worse.
Toronto is 27-23-9, and that is not the kind of cushion that screams "sell."
Ekman-Larsson helps on the man advantage, but his bigger value is stabilizing second-pair minutes when the game gets messy.
If the Leafs move him, the next guy up has to survive tougher matchups, not just fill a sweater.
There's also the human side, because he's a former Canuck who's already lived the whiplash of being valued, then bought out, then rebuilt.
The smart play for Toronto is leverage, not panic.
If a mystery team really is dangling a first, Brad Treliving can squeeze for a prospect or a second sweetener, or simply keep a defender who actually fits.
Also read on HockeyLatest :
Steven Stamkos confirms zero chance of trade, $8M cap hit stays with Nashville Predators
Steven Stamkos confirms zero chance of trade, $8M cap hit stays with Nashville Predators
Previously on HockeyLatest
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 28|135 ANSWERS Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade talk tests Toronto Maple Leafs at 27-23-9 with first on table Should the Toronto Maple Leafs trade Oliver Ekman-Larsson for a first-round pick? | ||
| Yes | 109 | 80.7 % |
| No | 26 | 19.3 % |
| List of polls | ||