Ekman-Larsson Expected To Take Next Step For Arizona Coyotes

Those struggling Arizona Coyotes that seem to have been flailing aimlessly at or near the bottom of the Pacific for the last few years suddenly are starting to look interesting. The team went out this offseason and made major changes from acquiring star center Derek Stepan and young goaltender Antti Raanta to acquiring veteran defender Niklas Hjalmarsson. The Coyotes suddenly seem to be a team on the rise. In fact, just a few days ago, we featured an early look at potential impact rookies and two Coyotes made the list in Clayton Keller and Dylan Strome. It seems if the rebuilding project that Arizona has undergone over the past few years is ready to begin paying off.

While that seems likely, NBC Sports Cam Tucker writes that of all the talent that Arizona has, the person that everyone should look to is star defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The recently turned 26-year-old defenseman who was the sixth overall pick in 2009 and has been outstanding for a team that has struggled. However, with all the influx of talent coming in, Tucker writes that it will be Ekman-Larsson who should continue to be the centerpiece for the franchise. The blueliner slipped off a bit offensively last year after putting up a big season two years ago. He finished the season with 12 goals and 27 assists and while still good was a far cry from his 21 goals and 34 assists he had in 2015-16.

However, with a good chance he will be paired up with fellow countryman Hjalmarsson, a defensive specialist, and along with the forementioned offense that should come to Arizona this season, Ekman-Larsson will no longer have to be a one-man show and could take his game to a new level this year. He was utilized heavily last year as he averaged 24:36 minutes of ice time, more than a minute more than anyone else on the team. Those types of minutes shouldn’t be as necessary this year. On top of that, rumors persist that with the departure of Shane Doan, Ekman-Larsson will be handed the captaincy reigns this year.

• Washington Capitals prospect Nathan Walker could make NHL history by becoming the first player from Australia to play a regular season game in the NHL. The third-round pick in 2014 has a legitimate chance to break the season with the Capitals this season, according to NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz. Walker, a high-energy, physical player despite his lack of size (5-foot-8, 186 pounds), could replace Daniel Winnik on the team’s fourth line this year. Walker has stepped up his game the last two years with the AHL Hershey Bears, putting up 28 goals and 64 points over the past two seasons.