The Toronto Maple Leafs had a very disappointing 2025-26 season, missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade. However, one of the very few bright spots the Maple Leafs saw during the season was the play and production of Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Anyone surrounding the Maple Leafs understands there needs to be a change. In terms of the front office, much of the change has already occurred during the regular season. MLSE CEO Keith Pelley fired Brad Treliving as the team's general manager, hiring John Chayka and Mats Sundin to take over the role. Just weeks following the hiring, the Maple Leafs decided to fire Craig Berube as the head coach of the Maple Leafs, leading to a clean house within the organization.
The next order of business for the Maple Leafs will be to decide on which players they are looking to keep, while trying to move on from certain pieces. With lots of questions regarding many players' futures, Oliver Ekman-Larsson spoke during the IIHF World Hockey Championships about his time with the Maple Leafs, while staying hopeful to remain with the team.
Ekman-Larsson speaks on his future with the Maple Leafs
"I think the whole situation became even more unique because we were expecting a baby just two weeks later. Obviously, it’s tough when you enjoy being somewhere and want to stay somewhere, and then something like that comes up. But when a team is struggling and things aren’t going the way they’re expected to, changes usually happen. It’s never fun. It was something new for me to go through in the middle of a season." Ekman-Larsson said.
I’ve been bought out before, and I’ve been traded before. But this was different; I probably knew a little more than the outside world did. As I said, when you enjoy being somewhere and want to stay there, it’s never fun when those rumours come up. Our whole family loves it there, and that’s where we want to be. But it’s not something you can walk around constantly thinking or speculating about. That’s how I see it."
Ekman-Larsson was rumoured to be traded this past season at the trade deadline; however, he was happy the move never came to fruition, as he has finally looked to find his role in the NHL and be a solid defenceman, something he hasn't been able to do over the past couple of seasons. The Swedish defenceman was the Maple Leafs' most consistent blueliner, finishing with 39 points, including eight goals in 78 games, leading all Maple Leaf defencemen.
Ekman-Larsson wants to remain with the Maple Leafs
I’ve gone through other things earlier in my career, and there’s really no point wasting energy on something before it actually happens, or if it even happens. If something does happen, then you just try to deal with it however you can. You never know. As I said, something will probably happen with the team there, but exactly what that is, I don’t know. Again, I’m not going to speculate on those kinds of things. The people sitting above me, John, Mats, and the rest of the organization, are the ones making those decisions." Ekman-Larsson later added.
The next couple of months are going to be interesting with lots of crucial decisions waiting to be made. Ekman-Larsson understands the business side of hockey, but wants to be a part of the Maple Leafs future, helping them get back to the postseason during the 2026-27 season.
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