The Toronto Maple Leafs got a welcome boost ahead of Game 1 of their series against the Ottawa Senators with the return of Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The team’s coach, Craig Berube, announced that the Swedish defenseman would likely play in Game 1 on Sunday, April 20.
Ekman-Larsson had missed the last four games of the regular season after picking up an upper-body injury during the Maple Leafs’ 4-3 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 9.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson Cleared To Play Game 1
TSN reporter Mark Masters shared an update on Ekman-Larsson’s availability on X on Sunday ahead of the game.
Craig Berube says he’s expecting Ekman-Larsson to play tonight @TSN_Sports
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 20, 2025
The day prior, Berube stated that the team would make a final call about the 33-year-old Swedish defenseman’s availability on the day of the game.
“Felt good the last couple days, so we’ll see tomorrow,” Ekman-Larsson told reporters after Saturday’s practice.
Ekman-Larsson signed with the Maple Leafs as an unrestricted free agent before the current season. He is in the first year of a four-year, $14 million contract and has scored four goals and provided 25 assists for 29 points in 77 games this season. More importantly for the Leafs, the defenseman has delivered 108 hits and blocked 83 shots this season.
Ekman-Larsson and Berube have both been added to the Maple Leafs squad in part because of their playoff experience and because they have been part of Stanley Cup-winning teams. The Swede won the trophy last season with the Florida Panthers while Berube was the interim coach for the St. Louis Blues, the 2019 Stanley Cup winners.
“Been a very good player in this league for a long time,” Berube said about Ekman-Larsson via TSN. “He’s a type of guy that’s very versatile, moving him around with different partners, playing the right side, power play, penalty kill. The kind of guy that we really count on in different situations and in different roles. He’s very accepting of it and handles it well.”
Toronto’s blue line will be at full strength when it takes on the Senators in Game 1. The team announced the return of defenseman Jake McCabe on Saturday. The Leafs have peaked at the right time, with a 9-1-0 record in their last 10 games of the regular season. However, their abysmal playoff record has left many fans with a pessimistic view.
The Maple Leafs have won only one series in their last eight playoff appearances. They did, however, win all four series against the Senators between 2000 and 2004 when the two teams last faced off in the playoffs.
Toronto, meanwhile, also holds the dubious record of the longest Stanley Cup drought, which has lasted 56 seasons. The Leafs last lifted the Stanley Cup in 1967.
The puck drops for Game 1 of the Atlantic Division series at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 20.