NHL trade rumors: Arizona Coyotes open to trading Oliver Ekman-Larsson
According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the Arizona Coyotes could move Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
After losing to the Colorado Avalanche in five games of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Arizona Coyotes are likely going to see some major changes. They likely won’t re-sign Taylor Hall and, according to the latest NHL trade rumors, their captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson could very well be on the trade block.
This report comes from Elliotte Friedman. Here’s what he had to say on the latest episode of Headlines.
"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… It could come down to what ownership wants to do too, what the new GM thinks too."
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The Coyotes recently promoted Steve Sullivan to replace John Chayka, who abruptly left the team just before the postseason started. Their new ownership group is likely going to want to make their mark on the team. Keep in mind they had nothing to do with signing Ekman-Larsson to his current eight-year deal worth $8.25 million annually. This season was the first year of that deal.
In 66 games during the regular season, Ekman-Larsson was less than stellar. He had 30 points, which made this season one of the least productive of his career. Of course, the hiatus due to the novel coronavirus pandemic played a part in it. But still, his 0.45 points per game this season are the third-lowest of his career, and his lowest since the 2011-12 season.
Now, OEL has a no-movement clause, so he’s not going anywhere unless he wants to be traded. But the mere fact that Friedman’s telling people to “keep an eye on it” is pretty telling. There might be more to this situation than meets the eye.
All of that said, I don’t think Ekman-Larsson is going anywhere for several reasons. Firstly, the Coyotes need a shakeup, but trading your captain and franchise defenseman might be a bit too much. Secondly, as I said earlier, Ekman-Larsson isn’t going anywhere unless he wants to thanks to his NMC.
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Thirdly, and most importantly, there’s a flat salary cap for next year. It’s going to remain at $81.5 million. Very few, if any, teams could afford to take on Ekman-Larsson’s deal. It would be next to impossible, if not impossible, for the Coyotes to get anything resembling market value for their team captain.