Risky Maple Leafs Off-Season Move Quickly Backfiring: The Team Has Made a Mistake With Oliver Ekman-Larsson

After nearly two months into the regular season, Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson just isn't playing up to the hype, and it looks like he was a mistake.

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Oliver Ekman-Larsson as an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the move was immediately criticized by many.

Handing $14 million over four years to a 33-year-old defenseman who has already shown signs of decline was a questionable choice.

Once a Norris Trophy contender on a struggling team, Ekman-Larsson's play fell off dramatically in Vancouver, to the point where the Canucks, who kept Tyler Myers, bought him out.

A brief resurgence in Florida, where he had success in a limited role akin to what Mark Giordano pulled with the Leafs last season, didn't justify such a deal.

Brad Treliving gave him one of the most headscratch-inducing contracts in the NHL. Ekman-Larsson had a strong first five games.

The numbers were pretty good: 57% puck possession, 60% of the shots, and a respectable 53% expected goals rating while contributing to a 6-3 scoring advantage.

Reality set in. In the following 19 games, the numbers bottomed out: 46% puck possession, 45% of the shots, and a 47% expected goals rating. The Leafs have been outscored 13-11 in his minutes, with increased dangerous chances against.

If there was one nadir point, a point at which it was definitively clear that he cannot handle a top-four role on a competitive team, it was Monday's game against Chicago.

At this point in his career, Ekman-Larsson is a borderline NHL player, and he's probably untradable via contract.

Barring that being the case, a huge long shot, Treliving has to find a way to move him to a place where his money will stop being a killer on a team that will try for the Stanley Cup.

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