Oliver Ekman-Larsson evaluates first month with Florida Panthers as West Coast trip begins
Through the early stages of the season, Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice didn’t want to put unneeded expectations on Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The potential was there for Ekman-Larsson to have a breakout season after two sluggish seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, but there was also a lot to adjust to — returning from a leg injury, playing in a new system, adapting to an uptick in minutes played and responsibility as the Panthers dealt with the absence of two key defensemen in the early going of the season.
So far, Ekman-Larsson has done more than enough to impress his coach and his teammates.
Entering the Panthers’ game against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night to begin a three-game California road trip, Ekman-Larsson leads Florida defensemen with nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) and is second with 24 blocked shots in 14 games.
He has already doubled his goal total from his final season in Vancouver, when he lit the lamp just twice in 54 games.
But to Ekman-Larsson, getting on the scoresheet is just a by-product of his ultimate goal.
“I don’t really care about the points to be honest,” said Ekman-Larsson, who is playing on a one-year deal after being bought out by the Canucks last offseason. “It’s just a matter of getting that feel on the ice and playing good to help the team win. I feel like I’ve been playing pretty good to help the team win and I’ve been pretty good overall. I had some games that I was struggling a little bit, I felt like, but at the same time, it takes a while to get use to. With that being said, the guys have been helping me out.”
With the Panthers playing the first chunk of the season without top defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, both of whom underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason, Ekman-Larsson has been part of Florida’s top defense pairing with Gustav Forsling and has run the Panthers’ top power-play unit.
He’s averaging 23 minutes and 31 seconds of ice time per game, which would be on pace for the most in a season since the 2018-19 season with the Arizona Coyotes.
His ice time will likely drop a little bit when Ekblad and Montour return, which could be soon. Montour could be back in the lineup at some point on this road trip, which continues with a back-to-back against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday and Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Ekblad is likely another week or so away from returning to the roster.
But Ekman-Larsson’s impact has been noticeable. According to the advanced hockey statistics website Natural Stat Trick, the Panthers are outshooting opponents 130-99, outscoring opponents 12-9 and have a 113-87 edge in scoring chances during five-on-five play when Ekman-Larsson is on the ice.
Maurice said Ekman-Larsson’s “competitiveness” is what has stood out the most to him so far this season.
“You don’t see a player every day,” Maurice said, “so you don’t truly know them until you get them, see how they practice and how they compete on pucks. There was a lag in some ways for him and he’d be frustrated that he didn’t make plays and make passes that he knows he can make, but that didn’t slow his game down. His gap has been good. I think he embraces the style that we play. It’s quite a bit different than what he’s used to. It’s been good for him. It’s kind of gotten him back into the game faster and then you start to see glimpses of the passes that he does make — some of the smaller, finer plays.”
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