Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was absent for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Wild. But it was for good reason, as he returned to Toronto for the birth of his child.

Ekman-Larsson was back with the Leafs on Tuesday night, as they hosted the New York Islanders. Speaking after the game, the 34-year-old shared that his son was born on Monday afternoon, and spoke about what the past days have looked like for him.

“It’s a boy,” Ekman-Larsson said with a smile. “We haven’t picked the name yet, so we’ll probably do that in the next couple days. … It’s been awesome. Obviously not a lot of sleep, but it’s been great. Wife has been battling. Some tough nights, but she’s unbelievable. So I’ve just been there to support her and do whatever I can to make it better. But yeah, it’s an awesome feeling. We are so happy and everybody’s doing good.”

Ekman-Larsson had been in Minnesota with the Leafs, but came back home on Sunday to be with his wife. He shared his gratitude to the Maple Leafs organization for being so accommodating and facilitating his return back to Toronto.

“We knew a little bit before, so it was kind of the smart decision to go back,” Ekman-Larsson said. “Thankful to the team for understanding and making it happen. That means a lot to us.”

It’s certainly been a busy 48 hours for Ekman-Larsson, but of course, it’s only just beginning for the now father of two. But despite those sleepless night, the Swedish defenceman shared that he felt good getting back on the ice with his teammates on Tuesday night. Ekman-Larsson played a team-high 25:53 TOI on Tuesday in his return, as the Maple Leafs fell 3-1 to the Islanders. It’s the second-highest total he’s played this season in a regulation game, and fourth-highest overall.

With the loss, the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to sit third last in the Eastern Conference. The team returns to the ice on Friday night, set to host the Metropolitan-leading Carolina Hurricanes at Scotiabank Arena.

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