The Florida Panthers have signed UFA defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to a new contract today. This contract is a one-year deal worth a total of $2.5 million.
Expected to be 1year, $2.25 mil for OEL in Florida. https://t.co/Lne3cnztBj
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 1, 2023
Oliver Ekman-Larsson Signs New Contract After Buyout
What a rollercoaster Ekman-Larsson’s career has been of late. The first-round, sixth-overall Arizona Coyotes draft pick from the 2008 entry draft stood as one of the best defensemen in the league for a long time. He holds 902 games of NHL experience under his belt. In those games he posted 135 goals and 304 assists.
At 28, the Coyotes signed him to an eight-year maximum term extension with an annual cap hit of $8.25 million. Unfortunately, that deal started turning sour shortly thereafter. It didn’t happen overnight, but his production trended downward year after year. And actually, his advanced statistics hit a bit of a wall in year one of the deal; after five straight stellar years, his relative Corsi-for fell to -0.6% in 2019-20.
Arizona traded him just two years into the eight-year contract, landing Ekman-Larsson with the Vancouver Canucks. Despite an acceptable first year there, an off-season injury seemed to decimate his performance last season. His -4.2% relative Corsi-for ranks as his career worst, and his 20:11 in average ice time sits as his lowest since his rookie season. He scored just two goals and 20 assists in 54 games in 2022-23.
What this Means for the Future
After the free fall from grace highlighted above, the Canucks decided to buy out the remaining four years of his contract this summer. They sat between a rock and a hard place, already over the salary cap before free agency even opened and with all their RFAs without a contract. The long-term effect this puts on the Canucks books cannot be overstated.
But, for Ekman-Larsson, it left him free for a new contract. Now, he can attempt to resurrect his career, and without any lingering guilt or pressure to live up to an unreachable dollar value. Maybe the relieved pressure can help him play comfortably. Certainly, a summer of conditioning will help him regain strength and speed that he so clearly lost after the last injury.
Ekman-Larsson still brings tons of experience to his new club, regardless of what happened over the last few years. This is the same guy who received Norris and All-Star ballot votes in five separate years of his career. While he might not offer that level of play today, a return to top-four minutes isn’t unreasonable. At a minimum, his voice in the locker room provides more than many others. This contract pays for itself there, alone.
Main Photo: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
