The Coyotes are again looking to trade Oliver Ekman-Larsson
It looks like this summer will again be filled with rumours around Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Last off-season, the Coyotes tried to move their captain, but ultimately couldn’t find a deal that worked for both sides. Ekman-Larsson is in the middle of an eight-year deal worth $66,000,000 that features a no-movement clause, so he can dictate which team he would be traded to.
Elliotte Friedman mentioned on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday that the Coyotes are taking a different approach than they did last time around…
“The two sides are going to try again, but this time around they’re going to approach it differently,” Friedman said. “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 strategy last summer of Ekman-Larsson producing a small list of teams he would be comfortable joining obviously didn’t work for the Coyotes. By doing so, the team gets backed into a corner knowing that they have virtually zero leverage in trade negotiations. Actively shopping Ekman-Larsson and bringing potential deals back to him and keeping things in-house would make life much easier for the Coyotes.
Ekman-Larsson has six years left on his deal with a $8,250,000 cap hit. He scored 24 points over 46 games in 2021 and the Coyotes missed the playoffs by nine points.