Treliving didn't move Ekman-Larsson because he didn't feel the offers matched what he believed the defenseman's value was.
OIiver Ekman-Larsson is relieved.
Over the last week, the veteran defenseman's name surfaced as a trade chip for the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the NHL's trade deadline. He wanted to stay in Toronto, where he signed long-term two summers ago, but that doesn't always happen when a team isn't having success.
Ekman-Larsson also leads Maple Leafs defensemen with eight goals and 35 points in 61 games, which no doubt made him an attractive piece for contending teams.
Toronto healthy scratched Ekman-Larsson for the final two games before the deadline due to "roster management" reasons. He, along with Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton — who were both dealt at the deadline — sat in the press box, watching their team lose to the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers.
Despite having a 16-team no-trade list, Ekman-Larsson didn't know what the future held.
"It's hard," Ekman-Larsson said on Saturday morning, when asked what it was like sitting in the press box for those two games ahead of the deadline, not knowing where his future could be.
"I said I wanted to stay, I wanted to be here, and we love it here, so I think that makes it even harder."
But when the clock struck 3 p.m. on Friday, he was still a Maple Leaf. The club's general manager, Brad Treliving, said later that day that he couldn't obtain an offer he thought was worth trading Ekman-Larsson for, so the 34-year-old remained with Toronto.
Ekman-Larsson, who's expecting a child with his wife in the near future, called it a "relief" when he learned he was sticking around.
"I think since day one, and when that talk came out, I think I’ve been pretty clear in what I wanted to do and that I still believe in this team and wanted to be here," Ekman-Larsson said.
"It's a tough day, it's a weird day. I was trying to keep myself busy with the little guy, and it worked pretty good."
It's not just the love for the city and his family situation that made Ekman-Larsson want to remain in Toronto.
"I still believe in this team," he said. "I still think that we can do something special and obviously haven't gone the way we wanted this year. But I still like the pieces that we have and still believe in it."
As Ekman-Larsson spoke inside the Maple Leafs' dressing room on Saturday, with McMann, Laughton, and Nicolas Roy's nameplates already gone, you could hear the solace in his voice when it came to staying in Toronto.
When he wrapped up his scrum, he thanked all the reporters who were huddled around him. While Ekman-Larsson has always been friendly and great to speak with, you could sense a relief radiating off him that hasn't been felt before.
The most interesting part of his scrum, however, was how he answered a question about whether he'll need to "mend any fences" after the Maple Leafs attempted to move him.
"I don't know. I’m just happy to still be here," Ekman-Larsson said. "That's what I wanted and that's what my family wanted. I'm super excited about that. And like I said, I still have a lot of belief in this organization and love being here. I was trying not to think about it too much at the same time, but it was pretty tough."