Report: Vancouver Canucks to buy out defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson
The Vancouver Canucks will buy out the final four years of defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s contract with the team, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Friday.
Ekman-Larsson, 31, collected 22 points (two goals, 20 assists) and averaged 20:11 of ice time in 54 games with the Canucks during the 2022–23 regular season. He carried a $7.26 million charge against the Canucks’ salary cap ceiling.
There is word this afternoon that Vancouver will buy out Oliver Ekman-Larsson. He will be an unrestricted free agent.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 16, 2023On July 23, 2021, the Canucks — under previous general manager Jim Benning — traded a package including the No. 9 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft (Dylan Guenther) to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Ekman-Larsson and forward Conor Garland.
Now, it appears Ekman-Larsson’s tenure in Vancouver will last less than two years. The six-foot-two defender, who shoots left, did not return to his previous All-Star form upon arriving in British Columbia, recording just seven goals and 51 points in 133 games over two seasons with the Canucks.
As a result of his buyout, Ekman-Larsson will become an unrestricted free agent eligible to sign with any NHL team on July 1. He’ll remain on both the Canucks’ and Coyotes’ books until 2031, albeit with significant salary cap savings each year.
Massive buyout for Oliver Ekman-Larsson sprinkled over the next 8 years. The #Canucks are paying him $19.5 million in real cash to go away, per @CapFriendly. pic.twitter.com/zSwNBPHLPh
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 16, 2023The Coyotes originally selected Ekman-Larsson in the first round (No. 6 overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft. The Karlskrona, Sweden product helped the Coyotes reach the 2012 Western Conference Final and surpassed the 20-goal mark twice during his time in the desert.
After signing Ekman-Larsson to his massive eight-year, $8.25 million AAV contract extension on July 1, 2018, the Coyotes named him team captain before the start of the 2018–19 season. But he lasted just three seasons in that role before being traded to the Canucks — with six years left on his contract — in 2021.
The Coyotes retained 12 percent — or $990,000 — of the final six years of Ekman-Larsson’s deal upon trading him to Vancouver. Arizona also received Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, and Loui Eriksson in the trade, as well as a 2022 second-round pick — flipped to Minnesota for young center Jack McBain — and a 2023 seventh-rounder.