Following the shocker of a trade that saw pending unrestricted free agent Mikko Rantanen get traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, could the same happen to Mitch Marner? The Toronto Maple Leafs' injury woes continue. On Saturday, the team announced [https://x.com/LeafsPR/status/1885873547941433550] that veteran defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson would not return to the game against the Edmonton Oilers after suffering a lower-body injury in the second period. At the time of the announcement, it remained unclear how the 33-year-old sustained the injury. Ekman-Larsson logged just 5:09 of ice time before he left the game with an ailment. As a result, the Leafs have had to shuffle between Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev, Simon Benoit, and Conor Timmins to finish the game. After the game, Berube said the defenseman was "day-to-day". "We've got to evaluate him a little bit more. Lower body. We'll see where he's at tomorrow," Berube said. It's not clear exactly how the defense sustained the injury when it occurred, and the coach also didn't seem to know. "I didn't even see it happen," Berube said. "He left the bench. So we were down to five (defensemen). And the trainer said he wasn't coming back." In his first season with the Leafs, Ekman-Larsson has played a steady role in the top four on the backend. Appearing in 50 games this season, the 15-year veteran has three goals, 18 assists, and 21 points – the second-highest point total among Toronto defensemen. The Swede signed a four-year, $14 million contract with Toronto in the summer, missing just one game this season for the organization due to an illness. The Leafs are off until Tuesday when their four-game road trip continues in Calgary. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
