Oliver Ekman-Larsson had worn number 91 during his short time with the Florida Panthers fresh off their Stanley Cup Championship run. Signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, though, will force Ekman-Larsson to choose a new number for this season as number 91 is currently donned by the team leader and assistant captain John Tavares.
Ekman-Larsson was originally
selected sixth overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Phoenix Coyotes. He had been wearing number 23 while being with the Coyotes, where he was counted as one of their better defensemen. He finally relinquished it on July 23, 2021, when he waived his no-movement clause and agreed to a trade that sent him, along with
Conor Garland, to the Vancouver Canucks. With the Canucks, Ekman-Larsson was able to get his number back and once again continued wearing number 23.
However, after two seasons with the Canucks, they opted to buy out the remaining four years of his contract on June 16, 2023, making him an unrestricted free agent. He wouldn't have to wait that long as on July 1, 2023, he signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the Florida Panthers. In Florida, Ekman-Larsson wore number 91 once again.