Last week, Oliver Ekman-Larsson joined the list of defencemen available in free agency when the Vancouver Canucks bought out the final four years of his contract.
“I’m not a big fan of buyouts,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin told reporters Wednesday. “But in this particular case, we felt it was an opportunity too good to pass up on.”
OEL clearly is not the player he was perceived to be in 2018, when he signed his ill-fated $66 million deal with the Arizona Coyotes. But can he still be effective in the right situation?
Ekman-Larsson told reporters in April that he spent all season playing catch-up after suffering a broken foot last summer at the IIHF World Championship, and it showed. The mobility that put him on the map was nowhere to be found, and his defensive play deteriorated as a result.
Ekman-Larsson was one of the worst defencemen in the NHL at denying 5-on-5 zone entries, stopping 38.5 per cent of the attempts made against him — 209th out of 211 defencemen who played at least 500 minutes. That was down from 45.5 per cent in 2021-22 and 48.2 per cent in his final season in Arizona. (A player is credited with a defensive-zone denial when an opponent fails to execute a play, such as a completed pass or scoring chance, upon gaining the offensive blue line.)
Although Ekman-Larsson is not much of a scoring threat anymore, he could still contribute offensively. He was among the most accurate shooters at his position from outside the slot last season, connecting on 50.3 per cent of his 5-on-5 attempts (79 of 157). That ranked 17th among qualified defencemen. Ekman-Larsson’s ability to get shots through from the point can lead to deflections and second-chance opportunities.
The most ideal landing spot for Ekman-Larsson is somewhere he can be sheltered from tough matchups. On a recent episode of the “32 Thoughts” podcast, Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman mentioned the Boston Bruins, who have previously shown interest in OEL, as a possible fit. The Tampa Bay Lightning have successfully integrated Kevin Shattenkirk and Zach Bogosian, among other veteran defencemen, into their lineup by giving them depth roles. The Carolina Hurricanes could have an opening on their third pair behind Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce (assuming they stay together). On those teams, Ekman-Larsson would not be required to do any heavy lifting.
Flush with buyout money, Ekman-Larsson can take a low-cost contract to latch on with a contender. There are questions about how much OEL has left in the tank, but there is no doubt that he will be motivated.
“I hope that I have a really good summer,” said Ekman-Larsson, who missed the Canucks’ final 27 games because of an ankle injury. “(I) really want to get better and prove that I’m still a good player.”
All stats via Sportlogiq
