It appears the Arizona Coyotes will make another attempt to move defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson this upcoming off-season.
The Coyotes were unable to find a trade involving their captain before his self-imposed trade deadline on Oct. 9, 2020. Ekman-Larsson has a no-move clause giving him significant say in his potential destination. It was reported back on Oct. 5, 2020 that the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks were on his list of teams that he would play for.
It appears the approach this time around will be handled differently by Arizona and Ekman-Larsson, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported during the Headlines segment on Saturday's Hockey Night in Canada.
"The two sides are going to try again, but this time around they're going to approach it differently," Friedman explained. "What Ekman-Larsson has told the Coyotes and what the Coyotes have agreed to do is they're going to go out there, check the market and they're going to bring a deal to him and then he can decide if he's comfortable with that team."
The 29-year-old signed an eight-year, $66-million extension with Arizona on July 1, 2018 — his first point of eligibility to do so. He’s got six more years on that deal, carrying a cap hit of $8.25 million.
Ekman-Larsson recorded 24 points in 46 games this past season. He joins an intriguing off-season market for defencemen with Seth Jones and Dougie Hamilton as potential trade options.
