Oliver Ekman-Larsson has found his new home, signing a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the Florida Panthers.
Expected to be 1year, $2.25 mil for OEL in Florida. https://t.co/Lne3cnztBj
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 1, 2023
Ekman-Larsson was bought out by the Vancouver Canucks last month, and now he will be looking to turn things around with the Panthers in 2023-24.
Ekman-Larsson’s Rough 2022-23 Season
The 2022-23 season was not a very strong one for Ekman-Larsson. Due to injury trouble, the 31-year-old was limited to 54 games, posting two goals and 20 assists. Offensively, he still made a bit of impact, but his struggles defensively completely overshadowed everything. He sported a disastrous minus-24 rating in his limited action and was a notable liability defensively throughout the year.
Ekman-Larsson explained to reporters at the end of the season that he felt that he was never able to catch up after breaking his foot during last offseason. His season then came to an abrupt end in February, as he sprained his ankle. Needless to say, injuries were the biggest theme in Ekman-Larsson’s year, and now he will be looking to be healthy and have a solid bounce-back year with the Panthers.
Ekman-Larsson’s Fit With the Panthers
At this juncture of his career, Ekman-Larsson is far from being the top-pairing defenseman he once was. As a result, it is highly unlikely that he will have this role with the Panthers. When looking at Florida’s current roster, Ekman-Larsson could be a solid fit on their bottom pairing. However, if we see his play improve next season, perhaps he should see minutes on their second-pairing when noting that the Panthers’ left side is not the strongest.
Related: 2023 NHL Free Agency Tracker
Although Ekman-Larsson’s offensive numbers went down last year, he should still be a decent option for the team’s second power-play unit. He is still an effective passer, and he could thrive in this role while having players like Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Sam Bennett to work with. Furthermore, if reclaims his reliable defensive game, he would surely be in the running to be a key part of their penalty kill unit.
Ekman-Larsson Brings Plenty of Experience to Panthers
Another element about Ekman-Larsson’s game is that he has a plethora of experience. He has appeared in 13 NHL seasons split between the Coyotes and Canucks, posting 135 goals, 304 assists, and 439 points. Along with that, he is a former captain and a two-time All-Star. With all of this, he will provide the Panthers with another strong leader in their locker room. That certainly is a nice perk about having the 31-year-old around.
If Ekman-Larsson can get fully healthy during the offseason and regain his previous form, he could be a big part of Florida’s defensive group in 2022-23. Overall, with the veteran receiving an affordable short-term deal, there is truly no harm in taking a chance on him. We will now need to wait and see if playing for Panthers ends up being the boost he needs to show that he can still be a top-four defenseman at this juncture of his career.