Leafs' Ekman-Larsson Touches on Following in the Footsteps of Sundin, Salming
Freshly-signed Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is looking forward to wearing the same jersey as some of his Swedish heroes, like Mats Sundin and Borje Salming.
The Toronro Maple Leafs made some headway in improving their blueline this offseason, securing deals for Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jani Hakanpaa. For Ekman-Larsson, there were a number of options available, but none more enticing than having a chance to sport the same sweater as two Swedish icons in Sundin and Salming.
During the 2022-23 season, the Leafs said goodbye to Salming in a touching ceremony on November 12th. Salming, who battled ALS courageously, died less than two weeks later.
The night was a special one for Ekman-Larsson, who was not only present in the building, as the Leafs hosted the Vancouver Canucks that night. OEL was a big part of the ceremony, taking the faceoff with William Nylander -- a moment he told reporters on Monday that he'll remember forever.
-Ekman-Larsson on Salming's tribute night in Toronto back in 2022
Ekman-Larsson, who hoisted his first Stanley Cup in June, also touched on how much he looked up to Sundin growing up and what an honour it is for him to have had the opportunity to sign in Toronto, the place where Sundin became the star that he was. The 33-year-old really seems to be embracing the seasons ahead.
I think just to get better. I think that's the mindset every year. Help everybody out. I think that's why I'm here, too, to help the young guys, help the older guys as well. Just to do a little bit of everything. So I'm super excited for this opportunity. It's a lot of history here in Toronto."
-OEL on Sundin and the opportunity ahead of him in Toronto
Where Ekman-Larsson will slot in this season still remains a mystery. It seems likely that he'll open the season on the 2nd pair, perhaps with Jake McCabe, but until training camp concludes and the opening night roster is set, all we can really do is speculate and hypothesize.
| POLL | ||
17 SEPTEMBRE | 1059 ANSWERS Leafs' Ekman-Larsson Touches on Following in the Footsteps of Sundin, Salming Where is the best spot for Oliver Ekman-Larsson in Toronto? | ||
| 2nd pair | 625 | 59 % |
| 3rd pair | 395 | 37.3 % |
| Other | 39 | 3.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
