<p>Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson missed Monday&#8217;s practice due to having a maintenance day.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Marner and OEL absent due to maintenance, per Leafs.</p>
<p>&mdash; luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) <a href="https://twitter.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1886505030674780597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>This comes after he exited Saturday&#8217;s win over the Edmonton Oilers due to a lower-body injury. He wasn’t on the bench during the second period, and it’s unclear when he suffered the injury. He was ruled out shortly after the third period began. Ekman-Larsson played 5:09 and took a penalty in the first period, before exiting the contest.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
<p>Head Coach Craig Berube told reporters after the game that Ekman-Larsson was listed as &#8216;day-to-day&#8217; but would need to undergo further testing.</p>
<p>&#8220;Right now, day-to-day. We have to evaluate him a little bit more. It is a lower-body,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I didn’t even see it happen. He left the bench, and we were down to five. The trainer said he wasn’t coming back.&#8221;</p>
<p>Berube provided a follow-up after practice <a href="https://x.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1886521634645008828" target="_blank" rel="noopener">where he was noncommittal</a> on Ekman-Larsson&#8217;s status for Tuesday&#8217;s game against the Calgary Flames. As a result of this uncertainty with the Swedish defenceman, <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/dakota-mermis-called-up-leafs-fraser-minten-marlies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Leafs made a roster move on Monday</a>, sending Fraser Minten down to the Toronto Marlies while calling up Dakota Mermis.</p>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The defenceman has had a tumultuous season, during which he missed time due to jaw surgery, got lost, and later was <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-claim-dakota-mermis-off-waivers-from-utah-hc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reclaimed off waivers from the Utah Hockey Club.</a> He spent the majority of the season in the AHL but will now get a chance to be with the main squad for the first time in the campaign. </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Mermis was spotted as the extra defenceman at practice, meaning Philippe Myers would fill in should Ekman-Larsson be unable to play against the Flames.</span></p>
<p>It&#8217;s also worth mentioning that Marner&#8217;s status is up in the air for Tuesday&#8217;s game against the Flames, but Berube seemed to err on the side of Mitch being ready to go.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Is there a chance Marner will miss tomorrow&#39;s game in Calgary? </p>
<p>Craig Berube: &quot;No, not necessarily &#8230; We&#39;ll see how they (Mitch &amp; Ekman-Larsson) are tomorrow&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TSN_Sports</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Mark Masters (@markhmasters) <a href="https://twitter.com/markhmasters/status/1886523321392509222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Ekman-Larsson signed a four-year, $14-million contract with the Leafs in free agency, coming off a Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers. He has performed well as Toronto’s number three defenceman behind Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev where he has been utilized in all situations, including some stints on the top power-play unit.</p>
<p>Before his lower-body injury, Ekman-Larsson had recorded 21 points (three goals and 18 assists) along with 61 hits, 42 blocks, 19 takeaways, and averaging over 21 minutes a night across 51 games this season.</p>
<p><strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong></p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>


Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson missed Monday's practice due to having a maintenance day.

https://twitter.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1886505030674780597

This comes after he exited Saturday's win over the Edmonton Oilers due to a lower-body injury. He wasn’t on the bench during the second period, and it’s unclear when he suffered the injury. He was ruled out shortly after the third period began. Ekman-Larsson played 5:09 and took a penalty in the first period, before exiting the contest.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
Head Coach Craig Berube told reporters after the game that Ekman-Larsson was listed as 'day-to-day' but would need to undergo further testing.

"Right now, day-to-day. We have to evaluate him a little bit more. It is a lower-body," he said. "I didn’t even see it happen. He left the bench, and we were down to five. The trainer said he wasn’t coming back."

Berube provided a follow-up after practice <a href="https://x.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1886521634645008828" target="_blank" rel="noopener">where he was noncommittal</a> on Ekman-Larsson's status for Tuesday's game against the Calgary Flames. As a result of this uncertainty with the Swedish defenceman, <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/dakota-mermis-called-up-leafs-fraser-minten-marlies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Leafs made a roster move on Monday</a>, sending Fraser Minten down to the Toronto Marlies while calling up Dakota Mermis.

<span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The defenceman has had a tumultuous season, during which he missed time due to jaw surgery, got lost, and later was <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-claim-dakota-mermis-off-waivers-from-utah-hc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reclaimed off waivers from the Utah Hockey Club.</a> He spent the majority of the season in the AHL but will now get a chance to be with the main squad for the first time in the campaign. </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Mermis was spotted as the extra defenceman at practice, meaning Philippe Myers would fill in should Ekman-Larsson be unable to play against the Flames.</span>

It's also worth mentioning that Marner's status is up in the air for Tuesday's game against the Flames, but Berube seemed to err on the side of Mitch being ready to go.

https://twitter.com/markhmasters/status/1886523321392509222

Ekman-Larsson signed a four-year, $14-million contract with the Leafs in free agency, coming off a Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers. He has performed well as Toronto’s number three defenceman behind Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev where he has been utilized in all situations, including some stints on the top power-play unit.

Before his lower-body injury, Ekman-Larsson had recorded 21 points (three goals and 18 assists) along with 61 hits, 42 blocks, 19 takeaways, and averaging over 21 minutes a night across 51 games this season.

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>

Recent articles from Michael Mazzei

Breaking News