Vancouver Canucks’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson leaves game with lower-body injury

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson left Wednesday night’s game against the New York Rangers with a lower-body injury. 

The injury occurred during the first period of play, Ekman-Larsson logged 4:46 of ice time before skating gingerly off the ice and immediately heading down the tunnel. He did not return to the bench for the remainder of the game and was ruled out at the start of the second period. 

Ekman-Larsson has registered 22 points (two goals, 20 assists) in 53 games this season. He is currently in year four of an eight-year, $66 million contract he signed with the Arizona Coyotes on July 1st, 2018. The contract sees an average annual value (AAV) of $8.25 million. He was traded to the Canucks on July 23, 2021, alongside Conor Garland in exchange for the ninth overall draft selection in the 2021 NHL Draft Dylan Guenther, a 2022 second-round draft pick, a 2023 seventh-round pick, Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel. 

Throughout Ekman-Larsson’s NHL career, he has recorded 439 points (135 goals, 304 assists) in 901 regular season games with the Coyotes and Canucks.