Former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson has joined the exclusive 1,000-game club. Now with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ekman-Larsson hit the milestone on Wednesday night against the Washington Capitals. Nicknamed OEL, he is the third player with ties to the Canucks organization who has hit the 1,000-game mark this season, joining Luke Schenn and Tyler Myers.
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After spending the first 11 seasons of his career with the Arizona Coyotes, Ekman-Larsson was traded alongside Conor Garland to Vancouver during the 2021 offseason. In exchange, the Canucks sent Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson and Antoine Roussel along with multiple picks, including one that was used to draft Dylan Guenther to Arizona. In total, Ekman-Larsson played 133 games with the organization before being bought out prior to the 2023-24 season.
After leaving Vancouver, Ekman-Larsson signed a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers. During his one season, he skated in 80 regular-season games and became a crucial part of the Panthers Stanley Cup-winning team. With the win, Ekman-Larsson became the 18th player from the 2009 draft class to hoist the Stanley Cup, joining notable names like Victor Hedman, Ryan O’Reilly, Brayden Schenn and Nazem Kadri.
Related: The Curious Case of Former Canucks Defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson
This past offseason, Ekman-Larsson signed a four-year contract with the Leafs. If he can stay healthy, the 33-year-old could hit the 1,250 mark before he retires. Through his first 999 regular season games, Ekman-Larsson had 145 goals and 477 points while skating over 22700 minutes.
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