Opinions Split on Oliver Ekman-Larsson Deal in Toronto

After some rumours had surfaced just before July 1st about the Leafs signing Ekman-Larsson as a free agent, General Manager Brad Treliving showed that it was more than just smoke when he inked the former Florida Panthers defenseman to a four-year, $14 million ($3.5 million AAV) contract on July 1st.

At first glance, this seems like quite a lot for a 3rd pairing defenceman and some people aren't thrilled with the signing, Sportsnet's Justin Bourne among them.

One of Toronto's biggest struggles in the playoffs for years has been a lack of goal scoring and an anemic power play. After going 1-21 against Boston, it became clear that something needed to be done. This is the Maple Leafs' attempt to add a puck mover and scoring threat on the back end.

Let's ignore, for one second, Ekman-Larsson's seasons in which he scored double-digits in goals (there were 7 such seasons on record). If we focus on just last season, no other Leafs defender besides Morgan Rielly scored as many points as OEL did. The Swedish blueliner finished the year with 32 points (9 goals and 23 assists).

The Leafs are getting a Stanley Cup Champion that played some important minutes during the playoffs, adding 2 goals and 6 points. Is he perfect? No, but if used properly, he can be effective.

When players like former Leaf Joel Edmundson were awarded larger deals elsewhere, this signing looks more and more reasonable. Not a steal, but not awful either.

Ultimately, pondering this move in early July is an exercise in futility. The deal is signed, and nothing will change that. The fact of the matter is that we won't know whether or not the move is good or bad until we see how Craig Berube and company plan to deploy him. We're a few months away from that yet, unfortunately.

Source for salary information: PuckPedia
Ekman-Larsson salary information

Source for statistics: Elite Prospects
Ekman-Larsson's stats and bio