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.

Defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson has suffered a lower body injury and will not return to tonight’s game.

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 16, 2023

The injury occurred during the first period of play, Ekman-Larsson recorded 4:46 of ice time before skating cautiously off the ice and immediately heading for the tunnel. He did not return to the bench for the remainder of the game and was sent off early in the second period.

Ekman-Larsson has 22 points (two goals, 20 assists) in 53 games this season. He is currently in the fourth year of an eight-year, $66 million contract he signed with the Arizona Coyotes on July 1, 2018. The contract calls for 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 ninth selection in the 2021 NHL Draft Dylan Guenther, a 2022 second-round pick, a 2023 seventh-round pick Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel.

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