Recent comments by Oliver Ekman-Larsson suggest he never wanted to be traded.
Prior to the start of free agency in early October, Arizona Coyotes defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson was reportedly on the trading block. The Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks were two teams that he would have agreed to go to in a trade. Arizona wanted to complete the trade before free agency started or they said they would hold onto him.
No one could blame the 29-year old if he wanted to go to either the Bruins or Canucks. Both are in a better position to win-now than the Coyotes. One thing that either club would be taking on is Ekman-Larsson’s hefty eight-year, $66 million contract that has seven years remaining on it. It carries an $8.25 million yearly cap hit.
Acquiring Ekman-Larsson would have required some salary dumps this offseason by Bruins general manager Don Sweeney, but to get a talent of his, it would have been a move worth making.
Not to mention the fact that it was just about a foregone conclusion that Torey Krug was leaving the Bruins in free agency, which he ended up doing for the St. Louis Blues. Ekman-Larsson would have been a top-four replacement for Krug and also would have been a good addition to the Boston power-play unit.
Arizona held onto the Ekman-Larsson, but recent comments he made make you wonder if the Coyotes were ever really thinking about moving the defensemen or if he really wanted to leave.
Ekman-Larsson recently said that he never wanted Arizona to deal him and he wants to stay in the desert until he’s 36. It’s understandable that a player signs long-term with a team that he wants to stay for the foreseeable future, but despite making the Edmonton playoff bubble over the summer, the Coyotes are still some time away from being a contender in the Western Conference.
Maybe by the end of his contract and if he’s still with Arizona, they might become a championship contender. If not, Ekman-Larsson might look back at this opportunity to be traded to a team with a shot of winning the Stanley Cup now as a missed opportunity in his career.