It's been a heck of a roller coaster year for Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Swede went from having his contract bought out by the Canucks, to winning the Stanley Cup with the Panthers in less then 365 days.
The Canucks opted to buy out his hefty contract, he went to the Panthers on a ‘'show me'' one-year contract and he did well enough to help them break through and win the NHL's highest honour, the Stanley Cup. When July 1st came, the Panthers chose not renew his contract and he ended up signing a hefty new contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
When asked about his decision to join the Maple Leafs, after he had reached the top with the Panthers, he gave a response that made the rounds on the web:
After winning the Stanley Cup, Ekman-Larsson publicly went out and stated that there was a team built wilth better talented players. It'll be interesting to see how this one age, especially given the Maple Leafs track record in the playoffs.
Now 32, Ekman-Larson will be linked to the Maple Leafs for the next 4 years carrying a $3.5M AAV.
