He's lighter in the wallet today.
While the Toronto Maple Leafs took care of business against the division rival Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena, one veteran member of Toronto's blue line is finding himself a bit lighter in the wallet.
Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was slapped with a $5,000 fine for his interference on Lightning forward Jake Guentzel, according to TSN Sports on X.
Larsson turned his back to Guentzel along the boards and caught him with a reverse hit; Guentzel was briefly shaken up on the play, while Ekman-Larsson was given a two-minute minor for interference.
On the heels of their 5-2 triumph over the Lightning, the Leafs have hit the road and will be taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson joined the Maple Leafs after winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers
Ekman Larsson joined the Maple Leafs with a four-year contract after helping the Florida Panthers to the Stanley Cup this past spring; it was his first and only season with Florida after having his contract bought out by the Vancouver Canucks the previous offseason.
He explained his decision to join the Maple Leafs, praising the team's lengthy history and also expressing appreciation.
“I am a guy that always tries to go with my gut feeling and when Toronto showed interest I got that feeling that this is what I wanted to do and this is what we wanted to do as a family,” he said, via PHNX Sports. “I’ve always liked coming in there as an away team, playing in that building. It’s always special.
Obviously, there’s a lot of history in the organization and I feel like they have a really good team that has a chance to do something special as well. I think it’s a good fit.”
So far in six games played with the Leafs, Ekman-Larsson has registered four assists.
