Report: Sharks Were ‘Around’ Ekman-Larsson At Trade Deadline

As the league recovers from a busy NHL Trade Deadline, stories are emerging about what teams weren’t able to do, including the San Jose Sharks.

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman briefly touched on the Sharks during the latest 32 Thoughts podcast. The Sharks only made one move on deadline day, trading Timothy Liljegren to the Washington Capitals. GM Mike Grier told reporters that he was looking for players with some term remaining on their contract, avoiding the rental market.

Friedman reported that the San Jose Sharks were interested in Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Ekman-Larsson is in year two of a four-year contract with a favorable $3.5 million AAV.

“San Jose, heard they were around Ekman-Larsson,” Friedman said. “I’m really curious about what they are going to do defensively. It’s going to be fascinating what they do long-term defensively.”

The Sharks will go into the off-season with many questions on their blue line. Mario Ferraro, Vincent Desharnais, and John Klingberg will become unrestricted free agents. Shakir Mukhamadullin is not signed for next season either, but he is a restricted free agent. The team still has some control over him.

As for how far down the line the San Jose Sharks got in regards to Ekman-Larsson? It isn’t really known. Grier told reporters he had many conversations during the deadline, but not many matched the prices he was willing to pay. Although Ekman-Larsson is a veteran at 34, he’s still a solid player.

The d-man won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in 2024 and was named to Team Sweden at the Olympics this year. In 61 games, OEL has eight goals and 27 assists. If the San Jose Sharks truly wanted to acquire the defenseman, they would’ve either had to not be on his 16-team no-trade list or have the player approve the trade if they were on his list.

Ekman-Larsson was vocal about his desire to stay with the Maple Leafs as well.

“It’s hard,” Ekman-Larsson told The Hockey News on Saturday morning. “I said I wanted to stay, I wanted to be here, and we love it here, so I think that makes it even harder.”