Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Ekman-Larsson arrived in Vancouver last season following a decade in Arizona and it didn't go well. He managed just 29 points in 79 games, his lowest total in a full season since his rookie year of 2010-11 as a 19-year-old. OEL's 1:45 worth of power-play time per game was also his lowest mark since his first year in the league. A bounce-back effort appears unlikely. For starters, Ekman-Larsson is now 31 years old. Secondly, Quinn Hughes is entrenched as the power-play quarterback on Vancouver's No. 1 unit, leaving OEL fighting for scraps with the second group. Ekman-Larsson has five years left on a contract that pays him a whopping $7.26 million per season, so he's going to play, but you can probably do better on draft day.

Ekman-Larsson was on the trade block for well over a year, but nothing ever came to fruition and he ended up spending one final season in Arizona in 2020-21. It was his worst year in nearly a decade (three goals, 24 points, minus-17 rating in 46 games), but that didn't stop the Canucks from grabbing him in a nine-player deal that involved multiple draft picks. OEL has six years left on a deal that pays him $7.26 million a year. It is widely viewed as one of the worst contracts in the league, but Vancouver is hoping for a rebound on a new club with a bit more structure to its game. From a fantasy perspective, OEL's plus-minus rating should stabilize, but he will be well behind wunderkind Quinn Hughes in terms of power-play time. Ekman-Larsson's fantasy stock has never been lower.

Ekman-Larsson saw a dip in his offense during 2019-20, posting just nine goals and 30 points in 66 appearances. He had registered at least 10 goals in each of his previous six campaigns while only missing the 40-point mark once over that span. The Swedish blueliner suffered a significant dip in power-play production, going from 19 to seven points from one year to the next. While fantasy managers may have salivated at the rumor OEL could be traded to the Bruins or the Canucks, he's set to stay in the desert for now. Look for him to return to the 40-point mark if the Coyotes' power play can improve on last year's 19.2 percent conversion rate. He should also be a lock for 100-plus hits and 150 shots on goal if he stays healthy.

Another year, another 10-plus goals and 40-plus points for Ekman-Larsson. The Swedish blueliner closed 2018-19 with 14 tallies and 44 points in 81 contests. He's reached double-digits in goals in seven of the last eight seasons and has topped 40 points in five of the last six. You won't find many options better than OEL when it comes to goal-scoring from the blue line -- he's second in goals since 2013-14, with his 99 trailing only 123 from Brent Burns in that span. The 28-year-old should be good for 40-45 points with at least 15 of them coming with the man advantage. If you can cover his plus-minus deficiency (minus-99 over the last six years) elsewhere, Ekman-Larsson is a strong fantasy rearguard.

Coyotes GM John Chayka granted the puck-moving defenseman an eight-year, $64 million contract extension over the summer. No hockey pundit will deny that OEL's minus-28 rating from the 2017-18 campaign is an eyesore -- after all, he did commit a career-high 53 giveaways -- but more importantly, the Swede dialed in 14 goals, 28 assists and 15 power-play points to complement 160 hits and 79 blocked shots to overshadow the ugly rating. It will take an early-round draft pick to acquire the 27-year-old given that he's averaged 0.62 points per game over eight years of service in Arizona, and if he cuts down on the miscues in the defensive zone, we could be looking at a top fantasy asset on the blue line.

Across-the-board statistical decline hit Ekman-Larsson last season, as he dropped to just 12 goals, 39 points, and 145 shots with a crippling minus-25 rating. After posting an unsustainably high 27 power-play points in 2015-16, the defenseman's drop in power-play production to eight goals and 19 points was the main culprit for his offensive slide. With Arizona beefing up its roster during the offseason to align with an incoming wave of young talent, Ekman-Larsson is a ripe candidate for a bounce-back showing in 2017-18. He might not provide a significant jump in the points column, but his peripheral numbers have nowhere to go but up.

Ekman-Larsson justified every bit of his hype last season, registering 21 goals, a career-high 34 assists, 154 hits and 96 PIM. The sixth overall pick in the 2009 draft saw just under 25 minutes a game and took advantage of every moment, especially on the power play. To put it bluntly, OEL was a straight-up beast in man-advantage situations, scoring 12 times and tacking on 15 helpers while averaging a whopping 5:11 of ice time with the extra man. The 25-year-old even sported the clutch gene, slamming home eight game-winning tallies that certainly don't hurt his candidacy to be a top-five defenseman in this year's drafts. The potential here is through the roof as Ekman-Larsson moves into his prime years on an improving team that's added depth and experience across the board. The Coyotes' blue line should be improved with Alex Goligoski coming to town and Michael Stone developing promisingly. At age 25, the Swede is not merely an elite blueliner, but a potential Norris Trophy candidate.

Ekman-Larsson entered 2014-15 with more hype than in any of his previous four seasons, with many analysts touting him as a viable Norris Trophy candidate. While he had stretches in which he appeared to struggle on the ice, from a fantasy perspective, OEL delivered another solid season at a discount compared to the higher selections poolies likely shelled out on draft day for the Subbans, Karlssons, and Doughtys of the league. The 24-year-old Swede delivered a career-high and NHL defensemen-leading 23 goals, his second consecutive 40-point season, and 264 shots on net . The shot total represented a 32.6 percent increase over the previous season and ranked him top 15 in the league among all skaters. If Ekman-Larsson is able to come close to replicating those numbers again, it will be easier to overlook his defensive shortcomings, even in leagues that count plus/minus rating, where his minus-18 mark last season dinged him a bit. In addition, OEL will almost certainly finish among the league leaders in ice time, as he figures to play around 25 minutes per game on the Coyotes' weak defensive corps.

Ekman-Larsson set new career-highs in goals (15) and points (44) last season, while seeing the sixth-most ice time in the league (25:53 per game). OEL improved in nearly every facet that’s fantasy-relevant, including his production on the power play (22 points), as well as in PIM, hits and blocked shots. Most impressively, he blew away his previous-best shot total by amassing 199 blasts on net. Needless to say, the 23-year-old is an up-and-coming fantasy stud who, if he played on a better team, would be far more appreciated. Use that slight Arizona discount to your advantage and draft him as one of your top defensemen, without paying the price for one with more name recognition.

Ekman-Larsson signed a six-year extension with the Coyotes during last season, so the team has its outstanding young blue liner locked up long-term. OEL chipped in 24 points (three goals) in 48 games in 2012-13 and the importance of his offensive contributions can't be overlooked on a team that has often struggled to light the lamp. He didn't come close to matching the goal-scoring pace he set in 2011-12 (13 goals in 82 games), but Ekman-Larsson is perhaps one of the safer defensive selections on the fantasy board. He also finished with a plus-5 rating and 73 hits, and it wouldn't be unreasonable to think he could come close to 40 points in a full season.

Ekman-Larsson, one of the game's top young blueliners, had a breakout season in 2011-12, notching 32 points, including 13 goals, 140 hits and 92 blocked shots in 82 games. OEL should be owned in all fantasy leagues as the 20-year-old is only going to improve after his first full season in the NHL. He could deliver 40 points this year.

The Coyotes lost aggressive defenseman Ed Jovanovski to Florida in free agency, but general manager Don Maloney expects his 2009 first-round pick to fill in and skate top-six minutes in 2011-12. Ekman-Larsson doesn't present the same offensive blue-line threat as teammate Keith Yandle, but posted a solid stat line in 48 games with the Coyotes last season: 11 points (1 G, 10 A), a plus-3 rating, and 24 PIMs to go along with 41 hits.

Based on Ekman-Larsson's performance last season with Leksand, where he posted three goals and 14 assists with a plus-44 rating, he might be the next young star on the Coyotes' blue line. With the departure of Zbynek Michalek, and an aging defense corps, Ekman-Larsson might make a splash for 2010-11. While it is too early to tell if his game that played in Sweden will translate to the NHL, the Coyotes have high hopes on their first round draft pick. He is a possibility to be inserted as a sixth defenseman, but he will have some competition for that job.

Ekman-Larsson would excite most fans in a traditional hockey market. The sixth overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Ekmann-Larsson isn't going to put up big offensive numbers, but his selection indicated how desperate Phoenix is at the blue line. The big Swedish defenseman put up an outstanding plus-44 for Leksands in the Swedish second division.