Ekman-Larsson spoke to the media on Wednesday morning, hours before being a healthy scratch for roster management reasons.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson wants to remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but that might not be in the cards with less than 48 hours until the NHL's trade deadline.
Ekman-Larsson, along with Toronto forwards Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton, were held out of Wednesday's game against the New Jersey Devils due to roster management reasons.
At this time of year, that messaging usually means a player could be on their way out of an organization.
Ekman-Larsson has been the Maple Leafs' top defenseman this season, scoring eight goals and 35 points in 61 games. That total is also the fifth-most among Toronto's players this season.
"It's obviously a tough time for everybody, no matter what team you're on," Ekman-Larsson told reporters on Wednesday morning, before he knew he was going to be a healthy scratch.
"At the same time, you know what you sign up for; you know that that's the case around the league. But you can control what you can control and go from there."
At 34 years old, there are definitely plenty of teams that'll still find value in the defender. Ekman-Larsson can play top-four minutes, quarterback the power play, and provide a lot of snarl, which is always good to have in the playoffs.
Ekman-Larsson also has a Stanley Cup to his name, which he won with the Florida Panthers in 2024, weeks before signing a four-year, $14 million contract with the Maple Leafs.
After this year, Ekman-Larsson is owed a reasonable $3.5 million in each of the next two seasons.
In a perfect world, the veteran defenseman would like to earn that money with the team he signed long-term with. And Ekman-Larsson can control some of his future as he has a 16-team no-trade list.
But as we know, even that doesn't stop players from being moved, especially if a team that's supposed to have success in a season doesn't.
"I love it here," Ekman-Larsson continued. "I think I said that a couple of days ago. We love it here. As a family, we're super happy to be here, and we want to stay here, so yeah."
Ekman-Larsson, however, understands the business of the game; he's in his 16th season in the NHL after all. Over that time, he's learned how to deal with the stress that comes at this time of year, and how to play through it.
"I think you get used to it," Ekman-Larsson said. "I think you learn how to live with it a little bit better and I think, yeah, you try and kind of shut that out and focus on your teammates and staying tight as a group and battle as a group.
"I think that's what you can control, and that's the mindset that we should have, all of us in here."