In addition to the extension of Timothy Liljgren, the first day of NHL free agency saw the Toronto Maple Leafs sign three new defensemen; Chris Tanev, Jani Hakanpa, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. While the Leafs locked down Liljegren for two years, Tanev for six, and Hakanpa for two, all moves made sense to a degree but the question lay in the decision to give Ekman-Larsson a deal for four years.
General manager Brad Treliving addressed the rationale behind offering a four-year, $14 million deal to Ekman-Larsson at the conclusion of the day, mentioning he was comfortable doing so because it was the necessary term to draw the player away from other options.
Treliving explained the necessity of balancing ambition with market realities when he stated, “Well, ultimately to get the player, you know, and I know we would all like them at one-year and 400 grand, that's just not reality,” said Treliving. “So you go in, you have to be disciplined in the marketplace, supply and demand.”
Fresh off a solid performance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, specifically the Finals, Ekman-Larsson had gauged interest from other clubs ahead of July 1. For the Leafs, after exploring various options, the veteran defenseman emerged as a prime target if he reached the open market. However, the feeling needed to be mutual to bring any deal to fruition with the market, city, and term playing a factor in any decision.
“You spend a lot of time gauging, you know, who's actually going to get to free agency. And, do they have a want to come to your city, to your market? So all those things play a role in it, right? And then ultimately you work to see what deal we're going to take to get the player there,” Treliving emphasized.
“And certainly there's some deals that every year, every team would walk away from if it doesn't fit, but ultimately you do a deal that you feel is going to land you the player and what you're required to land the player.”
Landing Ekman-Larsson was a strategic move based on both opportunity and need. It wasn’t a secret the Leafs were looking to bolster their blueline with experience, stability, and mobility. At 32 years old, the Leafs know the player they are getting, and maintain that securing Ekman-Larsson was well worth the investment.
“You take note of who the player is. I've got a history with Oliver,” said Treliving from his time in Phoenix with the Coyotes. “And, you know, he's a smooth player. He moves well, and has good legs. He's a fluid player, so ultimately at the end of the day, we're comfortable with the four-year term.”
Regardless, for a contract that holds an average annual value of $3.5 million per season, the Leafs get a defenseman who can play both sides, left and right, a strong puck mover, and potentially can compete for a spot on the powerplay. On the flip side, he’s a Stanley Cup Champion that will help to better round out the Leafs’ backend.
The former first-round pick has over 1000 games played in the NHL if you include the postseason and has consistently anchored a strong two-way game throughout his 14-year career. In 80 regular season games played, he scored nine goals paired with 23 assists for 32 points. In the postseason, he added another two goals and four assists through 22 games en route to the Stanley Cup Victory in Sunrise.
