Oliver Ekman-Larsson Sends Clear Message to Maple Leafs Coach Craig Berube

With a lot of talk this offseason about the Maple Leafs potentially bringing in a better offensive player on their back end, specifically for the power play. They were linked to names like Erik Karlsson, Dougie Hamilton and recent PTO signing Matt Grzelcyk.

However it seems like they are going to be running with Morgan Rielly as their main quarterback, as Mitch Marner is out of town and the typical five-forward rotation seems to be a thing of the past.

Though Rielly isn't the only available offensive defenseman on the roster, as the team employs veteran Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has some of the best production for a defender over the last decade and a half.

While in a smaller role now, it hasn't stopped Ekman-Larson from wanting to help as much as possible and was blunt when he told reporters how he wants to do it:

It wouldn't really be a terrible idea to at least give OEL some PP time on the second unit perhaps with guys like Matias Maccelli and Nicolas Roy; but he really should be given a look if Rielly doesn't get it figured out.

For his career, Ekman-Larsson has 190 points on the man advantage (61 goals, 129 assists) which is on par with Rielly's point total however he nearly quadruples the amount of goals.

And for a team like the Maple Leafs who have an issue getting shots through from the point, Ekman-Larsson provides something that the team struggles with which is shooting.

He loves to let it fly, and during some of his best seasons had 200+ shots on target; when allowed to shoot he gets it done.

So while Toronto should look to Rielly in order to quarterback their first power play unit where they have a wealth of scoring options, perhaps it would be in Berube's best interest to center his second unit around OEL and give him the chance to get back to his old form.

Last season, Ekman-Larsson had 29 points in 77 games (4 goals, 25 assists) after signing a four-year, $14-million deal in the summer of 2024.