For several weeks, discussions have been going on about the Ekman-Larsson “trade” by Arizona. TSN insider Darren Dreger added fuel to the fire yesterday. He wrote on his Twitter: Edmonton is interested in Arizona defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson. According to him, the parties held a preliminary conversation.
Arizona can pretend to qualify for a first-round pick and one of the young Oilers. Also, the Canadian club may include another player in the deal to meet the salary cap. It all comes down to money because the defender is the highest-paid player on the team. The Swiss contract with the cap hit is $ 8.25 million until the end of the 2026/27 season.
It is considered that Arizona may go to the exchange to reduce costs, as the team’s financial situation deteriorated amid the pandemic. Besides, the club recently lost two draft picks for illegal pre-draft testing of players. Dreger added that the Coyotes are in a stalemate: they need to either “eat” some Swiss money or take away several contracts from other players.
Ekman-Larsson scored 30 points (9 goals, 21 assists) in 66 regular-season games with a -3 utility and 23:00 average playing time. Added 4 (1 + 3) points in 9 playoff games.
Our editors can understand Arizona, which seems to be taking into a financial impasse, but we can’t understand the Bruins. Of course, Ekman-Larsson is a great player. And Edmonton is also considering the fact that defender Oscar Klefbom to miss part of next season due to a possible operation. But…
8.25 million is a huge amount of money for a contract for a guy who turns 30 this summer. Yes, now Oliver will be able to strengthen the Oilers, but in a few years, will he be worth the money spent on him? Great topic for discussion. What do you guys think?
Is it good idea to change Ekman Larsson? Tell us in the comments.
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