Ekman-Larsson scored a goal in Friday's 2-1 win over the Ducks.
The returns of Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad sent Ekman-Larsson to the third pairing -- he saw a season-low 17:59 of ice time. He still saw 4:52 of power-play time over four Ducks penalties, so the 32-year-old has a path to scoring success in the short term. He's posted four goals and four helpers over nine outings in November, and he's at five goals, 11 points, 31 shots on net, 25 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating through 17 games overall.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Contributes power-play assist
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Ekman-Larsson posted a power-play assist in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Sharks.
Ekman-Larsson set up Sam Reinhart's second-period tally. Over his last six games, Ekman-Larsson has erupted for three goals and four assists, including three power-play points. The defenseman has 10 points, 29 shots on net, 24 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating through 15 contests overall. His offense is being propped up by a 13.8 shooting percentage that is a virtual guarantee to drop as the season progresses.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Two-point effort Sunday
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Ekman-Larsson scored an even-strength goal and added a power-play assist in Sunday's 4-3 win over Chicago.
The veteran defenseman opened the scoring just 39 seconds into the first period, creeping in off the blue line to take a feed from Sam Reinhart and tap the puck into a wide-open cage. Ekman-Larsson has three goals and six points over the last five games, and on the season the 32-year-old former Coyote and Canuck has four goals and nine points in his first 14 games as a Panther. He led all Florida defensemen in power-play time Sunday, but with Brandon Montour (shoulder) close to making his season debut, Ekman-Larsson's role on the man advantage figures to shrink in the near future.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Tally, helper in overtime win
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Ekman-Larsson scored a goal, dished an assist, went plus-2, blocked three shots and added two hits in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Capitals.
Ekman-Larsson tied the game at 1-1 with his first-period marker, and he also helped out on Even Rodrigues' equalizer in the third. The 32-year-old Ekman-Larsson has gotten on the scoresheet in three straight games, posting four points in that span. For the season, he's up to three goals, four helpers, 27 shots on net, 22 blocked shots, 10 hits and an even plus-minus rating over 12 contests.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Scores power-play goal
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Ekman-Larsson scored a goal on two shots in the Panthers' 5-2 loss to the Blackhawks on Saturday.
Ekman-Larsson got the Panthers on the board with a shot from the point to cut the Blackhawks' lead to 4-1. In his first season with the Panthers, the Swedish defenseman has recorded two goals and four points in 10 games. Ekman-Larsson should continue to play on the top defensive pairing and top power-play unit for the time being.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Expected to play Thursday
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Ekman-Larsson (undisclosed) should be fine for Thursday's game versus Detroit, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.
Ekman-Larsson has a goal, three points and six PIM in eight contests this season. He left Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to Boston after absorbing a high check from Charlie McAvoy, but it seems Ekman-Larsson will avoid missing a full game due to the incident.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Leaves Monday's game
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Ekman-Larsson (undisclosed) will be evaluated Tuesday after suffering an injury Monday against Boston, David Dwork of Local 10 Miami reports.
Ekman-Larsson took a high check from Charlie McAvoy in the third period and exited the game. Prior to the injury, Ekman-Larsson logged 20:22 of ice time and put four shots on goal. Florida's next game is Thursday against Detroit.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Picks up first point with Florida
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Ekman-Larsson registered a goal in Monday's 4-3 win against the Devils.
Ekman-Larsson ended up with a shot on goal, four blocked shots and two hits in his 25:19 of ice time across 34 shifts. OEL is skating on the top defensive pairing with Gustav Forsling, at least until Aaron Ekblad (shoulder) and Brandon Montour (shoulder) are healthy enough to return around the holidays.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Secures one-year deal
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Ekman-Larsson agreed to terms on a one-year, $2.25 million contract with Florida on Saturday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Ekman-Larsson will be making significantly less than the $8.25 million he was expected to earn before the Cancuks bought out his contract. If the veteran blueliner can earn a spot with one of the power-play units, he could get back over the 30-point mark for the first time since 2019-20 when he was with Arizona. For fantasy players, Ekman-Larsson figures to be a high-risk, high-reward option given the uncertainty of which version of him you will be getting.
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Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Bought out of contract
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The Canucks bought out the last four years of Ekman-Larsson's eight-year contract Friday.
Ekman-Larsson had $29 million remaining on his eight-year contract. The Canucks and Coyotes -- who retained 12 percent of his salary when he was dealt to Vancouver two years ago -- will keep Ekman-Larsson's salary on the books for eight years, but Vancouver will get cap relief this season to the tune of $7.1 million. Ekman-Larsson was a fantasy asset five seasons ago, but he has fallen upon hard times of late, scoring only twice with 20 assists in 54 games in 2022-23. He missed the final 27 games of the regular season with an ankle injury, but he is expected to be ready for the start of training camp.
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Canucks' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Off injured reserve
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Ekman-Larsson (ankle) was activated from injured reserve Tuesday, per CapFriendly.
Ekman-Larsson missed the last 27 games of the Canucks' season, ending the campaign with 22 points in 54 outings, his lowest output since his rookie year. The 31-year-old defenseman should be considered healthy heading into training camp for 2023-24, though his $7.26 million cap hit could make it difficult for the Canucks to bolster a blue line that looked outmatched throughout the year.
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Canucks' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Likely done for season
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Ekman-Larsson (ankle) isn't expected to play again this season, coach Rick Tocchet told Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province.
Ekman-Larsson, who hasn't played since Feb. 15 due to the injury, is set to finish the season with two goals, 22 points, 58 hits and 43 blocks in 54 appearances. From 2013-14 through 2018-19, he reached the 40-point milestone five times over the span of six campaigns, but he's failed to record more than 30 points in any of his last four seasons. Tocchet is optimistic about the 31-year-old defenseman bouncing back in 2022-23 though.
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Canucks' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Placed on IR
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Ekman-Larsson (ankle) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
Ekman-Larsson was already ruled out on a week-to-week basis with a sprained ankle, so this move frees up a roster spot for the Canucks. The 31-year-old defenseman has 22 points and a minus-24 rating through 54 contests this season, but he's also averaged 20:11 of ice time per game, leaving a big gap in the Vancouver lineup, which is likely to be partially filled by Christian Wolanin.
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Canucks' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Out week-to-week
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Ekman-Larsson will be out for weeks with a sprained ankle, according to coach Rick Tocchet, Harman Dayal of The Athletic reports.
Ekman-Larsson was injured Wednesday in the opening period versus the Rangers, and did not return. Ekman-Larsson has two goals and 22 points in 54 games this season.
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Canucks' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Doubtful Saturday
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Per Randip Janda of Sportsnet, Ekman-Larsson (lower body) is doubtful for Saturday's tilt versus Philadelphia, according to coach Rick Tocchet.
Ekman-Larsson only played 4:46 Wednesday, before leaving in the first period against the Rangers. Ekman-Larsson has two goals and 22 points in 54 games this season. Look for Travis Dermott or Kyle Burroughs to take his place on the Vancouver blue line.
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Canucks' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Exits Wednesday's game
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Ekman-Larsson (lower body) won't return to Wednesday's game versus the Rangers.
Ekman-Larsson was hurt in a board battle in the first period. If the defenseman misses additional time, Kyle Burroughs or Travis Dermott could take his place in the lineup.
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Canucks' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Finds twine Thursday
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Ekman-Larsson scored a goal in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Islanders.
Ekman-Larsson got the Canucks on the board at 11:44 of the first period, just 39 seconds after Kyle Palmieri opened the scoring for the Islanders. This was Ekman-Larsson's first goal since Nov. 8, and it was his second goal of the season. The defenseman has had a bit of a tumultuous year, which even saw him scratched once in January. He's at 22 points, 89 shots on net, 57 hits, 41 blocked shots and a minus-19 rating through 51 outings.
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Canucks' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Ends eight-game scoring drought
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Ekman-Larsson registered two assists in Vancouver's 5-4 overtime loss to New Jersey on Monday.
Ekman-Larsson has a goal and 21 points in 49 games this season. He was scoreless in his previous eight contests. Even after that recent offensive slump, Ekman-Larsson's overall scoring pace an improvement on 2021-22 when he finished with 29 points in 79 contests.
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Canucks' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Healthy scratched
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Ekman-Larsson was a healthy scratch during Thursday's loss to the Lightning.
Ekman-Larsson has been relied upon heavily by the Canucks this season, averaging 20:28 of ice time per game. Through 40 contests he has 19 points, but holds a minus-14 rating. He likely won't watch many more games from the press box, but it's worth monitoring his status ahead of Saturday's contest.
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Canucks' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Plucks pair of apples
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Ekman-Larsson notched two assists, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Avalanche.
Ekman-Larsson helped out on the first and last of the Canucks' goals, with the former coming on the power play. The 31-year-old defenseman's previous multi-point effort was Dec. 7, and he picked up three helpers over 10 contests in between. The Swede is up to 18 points (four on the power play), 63 shots on net, 51 hits, 27 blocked shots and a minus-9 rating through 38 outings.
