{"id":491751,"date":"2026-03-07T19:01:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T19:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/491751\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T19:01:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T19:01:24","slug":"oliver-ekman-larsson-relieved-to-stay-with-toronto-maple-leafs-and-still-believes-in-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/491751\/","title":{"rendered":"Oliver Ekman-Larsson relieved to stay with Toronto Maple Leafs and still believes in team"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oliver Ekman-Larsson<\/a> is happy to still be a Toronto Maple Leaf after the chaos of the NHL\u2019s trade deadline subsided on Friday.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-2 blueliner had been a focus of the Maple Leafs\u2019 trade talks leading up to the deadline, with him finishing at No. 10 on TSN\u2019s Trade Bait Board.<\/p>\n

After not being dealt at the deadline, Ekman-Larsson showed relief at the team\u2019s morning skate prior to their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> on Saturday and he explained why he wanted to stay in Toronto.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still believe in this team and [I think] that we can do something special,\u201d Ekman-Larsson said. \u201cLike I said since Day 1, when the talk came out, I was very clear in what I wanted to do. I still like the pieces that we have and I still believe in this team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oliver Ekman-Larsson says there’s relief for he and his family to still be in Toronto and expressed belief that the #leafs<\/a> can turn things around next season.<\/p>\n

But being sat out for a couple games while the team fielded trade offers clearly left a mark: “It was pretty tough.”<\/p>\n

\u2014 Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

After winning the Atlantic Division last year with a 52-26-4 record, Toronto has taken a major fall in the standings this season. They sit last in the division with a 27-15-11 record and are eight points back of the Boston Bruins<\/a> for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference entering Saturday\u2019s action.<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs have made the playoffs each of the last nine seasons and had internal and external expectations to continue that success this season, which hasn\u2019t come to fruition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I had the answer, but the bottom line is we\u2019ve got to be better,\u201d said Ekman-Larsson. \u201cWe knew that [the stretch before the deadline] were going to be big games for us. We didn\u2019t make it easy on ourselves, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to say [what went wrong] right now, but we need to have a better much push and show that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ekman-Larsson sat out the team\u2019s last two games while the Maple Leafs explored their options on the trade market.<\/p>\n

Toronto ended up trading forwards Bobby McMann<\/a>, Scott Laughton<\/a> and Nicolas Roy<\/a> prior to the deadline in exchange for a combined five draft choices. However, Ekman-Larsson says he has no ill will towards the organization despite obviously being shopped around.<\/p>\n

\u201dI was just happy to still be here, that\u2019s what I wanted and that\u2019s what my family wanted,” said Ekman-Larsson. \u201cI was trying not to think about it too much, but at the same time it was pretty tough. Like I said, I still have a lot of belief in this organization and I love being here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moving forward, Ekman-Larsson says that the team\u2019s focus is on moving in the right direction and to start creating winning habits.<\/p>\n

He believes the Maple Leafs still have a lot to play for with 19 games remaining in the regular season and wants to prove that they can be the team that won their division last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not done yet, and I think that\u2019s the mindset right now,\u201d said Ekman-Larsson. \u201cIt was obviously weird losing three good players and unbelievable guys that you\u2019ve been battling with all year. It\u2019s sad and it\u2019s always tough to go through.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re taking one game at a time and trying to get better. We\u2019re all accountable for the situation that we\u2019re in and that\u2019s something we want to improve and show that we can play better. We had a good meeting today and we\u2019re looking forward to get going and push in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n