The Maple Leafs skated at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.
After missing Monday’s practice, Oliver Ekman-Larsson was back on the ice at the Leafs morning skate. Although it was hard to recognize him at first as the 35-year-old defenceman was sporting a clean-shaven look.
“I just wanted to look a little bit younger, I guess,” he said with a smile. “No. It was getting out of hand a little bit, so I cleaned it up.”
Ekman-Larsson will look to turn back the clock on Tuesday night as the Leafs face the Utah Mammoth without shutdown defenceman Chris Tanev.
“We haven’t probably played [him] as much as we need to,” coach Jim Hiller said. “He’s going to get a little more tonight. He’s healthy and ready to go, so we’re gonna have to lean on him big time.”
Ekman-Larsson’s health has been in question since he took a big hit from Golden Knights defenceman Jeremy Lauzon late in the third period of last Thursday’s game in Vegas. Hiller felt a penalty should have been called on the play.
“I mean, if you give, you’ve got to take a little bit too,” Ekman-Larsson said with a shrug. “So that’s how I look at it ... I haven’t really thought about it.”
Ekman-Larsson led Toronto’s defence in scoring last season with 39 points in 78 games, but he’s stuck on zero points through six games this year. He has slotted in mostly on the third pair and that’s where he skated on Tuesday morning.
“It’s been pretty good,” Ekman-Larsson said of his performance this season. “Some hiccups here and there, but that’s usually how it works early on in the season, [you have] to kind of figure everything out and get back to that game shape and just positions and everything. But, overall, I feel like I’ve been defending well and, yeah, so it’s been alright.”
Ekman-Larsson is logging 16 minutes and 20 seconds of ice time per game this season, which is down from the 20 minutes and 36 seconds he averaged last season. But with Tanev on injured reserve and sidelined for at least the next three games, Ekman-Larsson is about to see an uptick in responsibility.
“He’s got good intensity,” Hiller said. “You know, physical in battles, I think that’s when he’s playing his best, and he moves the puck and gives you a little bit of offence too. So, I think he’s just a solid all-around player, and he’s going to have to step up in the absence [of Tanev].”
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Tanev is usually deployed against the top lines on the other team. Darren Raddysh believes he is capable of taking on some of those matchup minutes moving forward.
“I think I can step up and do that,” Raddysh said. “I think I did that a little bit last year. We had a lot of guys hurt. So, yeah, I’m just going to try and play my game, try and help the team as best as I can, and just try and give it everything I got.”
Raddysh is a big reason why the Tampa Bay Lightning finished in second place in the Atlantic Division last season despite missing Victor Hedman for most of the year.
“He’s just one of those players, put him in a spot, he’s able to rise to the occasion and do what he needs to do,” said centre Nick Paul, who also played with Raddysh in Tampa.
The Leafs have been trying to put Raddysh, who piled up 70 points last season, in positions to produce offensively and, even with Tanev out, they don’t plan on having him to take on many more defensive-zone starts.
“That’s not necessarily the role we want him, you know, to do, to give those heavy defensive minutes,” Hiller said. “But he’s shown he can handle them.”
Raddysh has been limited to two assists in six games so far despite leading the team in playing time (23:10 TOI/G).
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With John Tavares out of the lineup on Saturday, Gavin McKenna moved up to the top power-play unit and delivered a nice primary assist on a goal by William Nylander. The 18-year-old rookie also made a nice backcheck to start a sequence that led to a power-play goal by Auston Matthews. It was the first time this season that Toronto scored twice on the power play in the same game.
But at Tuesday’s skate, Tavares was back in his usual spot on the top unit and McKenna was back with the second unit.
“Gavin did a good job and, you know, just like other situations in the game, Gavin will get put in [there] and then pulled back a little bit,” Hiller said. “We’re talking [about] John Tavares, it’s a pretty easy decision to get John back in there. He’s had a great career. He’s still a great goal scorer, so that wasn’t a hard one at all.”
The Leafs power play is clicking at 26.3 per cent this season, which is seventh overall.
Tavares led the team with 12 power-play goals last season, but has just one point, an assist, so far this season.
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Anthony Stolarz was in the starter’s net at the Leafs skate, but Hiller paused for a second when asked if he was starting against Utah.
“You’re assuming? Some inferences,” the coach said with a smile. “I didn’t tell you last time and it worked out alright. So, you know how coaches are. But, no, I’ll let you know he is starting tonight. Just so you know that we’re not that superstitious.”
Hiller had declined to reveal his starter ahead of Saturday’s win in Colorado.
Stolarz will be seeing his first game action since an overtime win over the Nashville Predators last Tuesday.
“I like his personality,” said Hiller. “That’s the one thing. Just a happy-go-lucky guy. I think that’s important for a goaltender sometimes, not to not to be too tight. He seems like he’s a pretty relaxed guy. And then obvious is massive [6-foot-6, 248 pounds] in the net. So, yeah, he’s done a good job so far. Just like Bob.”
After starting consecutive games for the first time this season, Sergei Bobrovsky will get a night off on Tuesday.
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William Nylander has his own routine that he does before practices and Kirill Marchenko tagged along to see what makes the star winger tick on Monday.
“I talk to him a lot about skill and small details on the ice,” Marchenko said. “He kind of helped me some moments. It’s always interesting what he did often on the ice and it’s interesting when you feel it. And it’s nice to learn something new. I always try to learn something. It’s a goal, learn something and try to be better every day, and it’s nice lessons for me, yesterday, by Willy.”
What did he learn?
“It’s feel the puck more,” he said. “Just small details about stick handling or making some moves. He just showed me what he did every time and I just try it out and I like it. It’s good warm-up.”
Marchenko is still settling in with the Leafs after being traded from Columbus on the eve of the season.
“It’s a little bit different for him,” said Hiller. “You know, in Columbus he was relied upon to provide a lot of offence and he’s certainly going to be relied upon for that here, but there are other players [so] it can be spread around. I think he’s just kind of finding his way there right now.”
Marchenko led the Blue Jackets with 27 goals last season while Matthews posted a career-low 27 goals in just 60 games.
Marchenko has produced one goal and three assists so far with the Leafs despite playing primarily on the top line with Matthews. Marchenko’s been on the scoresheet in all but one game, but he’s also been bumped off the top line midway through the last three games.
“Just probably wants to get going a little better than he has,” Hiller acknowledged. “But we’ve got plenty of patience for him. We love the player. Great personality and will be just fine.”
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With so many new players on the roster, building chemistry is a big focus early in the season and Paul is certainly doing his part to create some laughs in the dressing room. During a get-to-know-you video posted by the Leafs social team, the 31-year-old revealed that ‘Big Twizzler’ is his nickname.
“Honestly, I have a lot of nicknames,” he said with a grin. “Half given to myself, half given to me. I don’t know, it’s just a variation of nicknames building on top of each other. Then the ‘Big Twizzler’ came somehow. I don’t know, that one was the one that kind of stuck here. I had a lot in Tampa, and that’s the one that kind of stuck here. Honestly, any name called, I kind of look, even if it’s not my name. So, yeah.”
Teammates are not necessarily buying this explanation of the origin story.
“No comment on that,” Raddysh said with a big smile. “I’ve always said nicknames are given by teammates, but I don’t know who called him that. I’ll have to get to the bottom of that.”
It does seem to fit, though.
“Yeah, it’s great,” Raddysh agreed. “Yeah, you know a big guy and he’s a little bit twizzly on the ice, and it just sticks. So, you know, we’ll continue calling him that.”
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Paul is bringing his ‘Points by Paul’ charitable initiative to Toronto. He will donate $150 for every point he scores to Jack.org, which is Canada’s movement for youth mental health.
“When I was younger [playing in the Ontario Hockey League], I had a friend take his life by suicide, and it kind of stuck with me and impacted me and I knew if I was ever going to be able to have a voice and do something to help that and that cause, it’s something I want to do,” Paul said. “So I started ‘Points by Paul.’”
During his time with the Lightning, Paul raised money for the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that no one in the community has to face a crisis alone.
“I’ve been doing it for a long time and, yeah, now just bringing it here with Toronto and joining Jack.org, excited for this year,” he said.
How does the Mississauga, Ont., native handle the mental side of the game?
“It all starts with the group in here, just being really close,” he said. “And I think everyone knows that everyone wants everyone’s best interest and everyone’s got each other’s back. I think it’s a really tight group. We all have one goal in mind, and that’s winning and continuously getting better every single day. And I think we’re just a room where if you’re going through something or if you’re struggling you know there’s guys here to pick you up.”
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/2026/10/13/something-i-want-to-do-paul-brings-mental-health-charitable-initiative-to-toronto/
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Lines at Tuesday’s skate:
F
Marchenko - Matthews - Roslovic
Cowan - Tavares - Nylander
McKenna - Paul - Sissons
Duhaime - Blueger - Groulx
Wood
D
McCabe - Raddysh
Rielly - Stecher
Ekman-Larsson - Blankenburg
Rifai - MacEwen
G
Stolarz starts
Bobrovsky
Power play units at Tuesday’s skate:
Raddysh
Matthews Marchenko Nylander
Tavares
Blankenburg
Rielly Roslovic McKenna
Cowan