Oliver Ekman-Larsson played himself into trade value at the Worlds

Despite Sweden falling at the World Championship, Oliver Ekman-Larsson had an absolutely unreal tournament after a resurgent season with the Maple Leafs.

The 34-year-old is no spring chicken, but he did have nine points in eight games and looked like one of the premier defenders at the tournament.

The former Olympian had 39 points in 78 games last season, eight goals and 31 assists, despite not being the quarterback on the first power-play team.

The journeyman has had a long career, and a good one at that. But despite the Maple Leafs needing to win the next two seasons, he is one piece that gives Toronto significant trade value to retool the roster going forward.

OEL rumours may start to heat up again after his worlds performance

There were significant rumours at last season's trade deadline involving the Swede, even going so far as to scratch him for a game before the deadline; however, he remained with the team as then-general manager Brad Treliving did not trade him.

While OEL is a significant piece at a relatively affordable cap hit, and the Maple Leafs not holding their 2027 and 2028 first-round picks, an argument can be made that his value will never be higher, and that Toronto should cash in now.

Toronto has a rapidly aging defence core, with the majority well past 30.

Moving on from OEL allows Toronto to get younger, get significant assets back to improve other parts of the roster, and move on from a player who probably is at their peak value.

The current Maple Leaf is one of the only defencemen in the organization who can move the puck, but getting significant draft capital, prospects, or other players allows Toronto to 'retool' the roster in 'creative ways,' something both Keith Pelley and new general manager John Chayka spoke about.

Now, the argument to keep him is easy: he comes with a cheap cap hit and was easily the best defenceman on the roster next season, and with the team's current situation, they need to try and win now.

However, he is the easiest piece to move and can return something like a first-round pick plus a player, addressing the weak farm system Toronto has, as well as add a player that fixes a hole. Plus, it may free up some cash to go out and fill a roster spot through free agency.

Ultimately, Ekman-Larsson has been the real deal over the last calendar year, but the direction of this team under new management might mean he is no longer in the cards for the future of the Maple Leafs.

While the departure of a puck-moving defenseman who showed he can produce at an elite level at the World Championships will be missed, his production is not irreplaceable; there are FA and trade options the Maple Leafs could explore in the meantime, while using the assets from moving OEL to improve elsewhere.

Names like Darren Raddysh, Rasmus Andersson, or John Carlson could all be people the Maple Leafs could go after who could replace his production at a similar cost. As well as people like Olen Zellweger and Zach Whitecloud could all be people Toronto try to trade for this offseason.

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