Elliotte Friedman noted on the Saturday Headlines report that he’s heard it’s worth keeping an eye on what might happen when it comes to Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s future with the Arizona Coyotes.
Friedman said:
One of the story lines that’s going to be interesting to watch there with the Coyotes and the offseason is the future of Oliver Ekman-Larsson. He’s their captain, he’s signed to a long term deal, he’s got seven years left (on his deal), he’s got a no-move clause. It could come down to what ownership wants to do too, what the new GM thinks too. I’ve just been told it’s a story to keep an eye on…
Admitting he doesn’t have 100% clarity on the situation, Friedman noted Ekman-Larsson’s future could depend on what the ownership group decides to do financially and their commitment to their captain. OEL has a long-term deal with the Coyotes and a full no-movement clause, so if he doesn’t want to move he won’t. That said, if there’s pressure from the team that he’d be willing to waive or he gets a feeling that he’s not wanted there, it could be interesting to see what sort of direction this potential saga takes.
If this turns out to be accurate, there are few key things to take note of. First, there should be plenty of interested teams despite his fairly high salary. At $8.25 million over the next seven seasons, he’s certainly not inexpensive. At the same time, there are few defensemen in the league capable of logging the minutes he logs and staying productive. And, at 29, he should remain productive for much of the contract.
Second, which teams can afford that contract will be intriguing. It’s one thing to add that kind of salary can not send much back. But in a tight salary cap, adding OEL will mean, for most teams, moving other salary around which could trigger a domino effect for trades.
Finally, there could be a bit of buyer beware with any deal involving the defenseman. His scoring dropped significantly from 14 goals and 44 points in 81 games last year to nine goals and 30 points in 66 games this season. Does that mean he’ll be less productive moving forward? No, not at all. In the right situation like top minutes for the Winnipeg Jets, he could flourish. But, it’s seven more years and if he doesn’t rebound a bit, that’s a big commitment.
It’s possible we’re all about to find out what kind of market is out there for a No. 1 left-shot in his prime. Between he and Alex Pietrangelo, this could get fun to watch.
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