Will Ekman-Larsson seek a short-term “prove it” deal with a contender in hopes of jacking up his value?
The Oliver-Ekman Larsson trade two years ago felt doomed from the start for the Vancouver Canucks. He was being paid elite No. 1 defenseman money but, even in 2021, was already in steep decline,in his final few seasons with the Arizona Coyotes. Joining a Canucks team that was a defensive roller coaster in its own right, he didn’t end up landing in a situation that set him up to flourish.
While he did a passable job moving the puck offensively as a Canuck, he was below average in his own end – or a black hole when you factor in that Vancouver was on the hook for $7.26 million of his $8.25 million cap hit. Over the past two seasons in 5-on-5 play, the Canucks got 46.7 percent of the goals and 48.27 percent of the scoring chances with him on the ice. Rather than continue the slog for four more years with ‘OEL,’ who is 31, GM Patrik Allvin decided last week to pay him $19.
So Ekman-Larsson is free to find a new team July 1 as a UFA. That wouldn’t be headline news most years given how much his game has eroded. But it’s an extremely weak UFA class in 2023, and two of its top blueline assets, Damon Severson and Vladislav Gavrikov, signed before making it to market. Suddenly, the idea of adding Ekman-Larsson to play a third-pair role doesn’t sound so bad given it’ll cost very little on the AAV or at least the term.
What route might Ekman-Larsson go? Might he seek a one-year “prove it” contract to try and jack his value back up a year from now? He wouldn’t be the first to do so, albeit that strategy bombed horribly for John Klingberg this past season. Ekman-Larsson could seek more security on a multi-year deal, but which team would be comfortable investing in him for more than one season right now?
Presuming he signs a short-term contract, then, here are some possible destinations to watch for OEL. Keep in mind: he’s already earning $2.416 million in buyout money from Vancouver, so the AAV on his next deal doesn’t necessarily have to be high to entice him. If he’s willing to play for a small number, his options expand greatly – as do his opportunities to have a bounce-back season on a better team.Ekman-Larsson is not Hampus Lindholm, to be clear.
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