Elite defenders don’t come around too often. Jim Benning would be foolish not to try his best to add Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the Vancouver Canucks blueline.
Defence wins championships.
It took the Vancouver Canucks 50 years to have a truly elite defender patrolling the blueline. Now, just over a year later, General Manager Jim Benning has a serious opportunity to double down on the left side.
COVID-19 has greatly impacted the NHL financially and the effects are starting to show through on some of the lower-income franchises. Being one of those teams, the Arizona Coyotes have placed their captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the trade block.
With a complete no-trade clause attached to his eight-year $66 million dollar extension, Ekman-Larsson has given GM Bill Armstrong a list of just two teams. The Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks. The shortlist gives Benning a big advantage in trying to land the big fish and depending on how badly the Coyotes need to move out money, there is a chance it could happen.
Could you imagine if Benning actually managed to pull it off and land Ekman-Larsson? Playing behind Quinn Hughes the Canucks’ blueline would immediately turn from average to legit. Add the fact that Alex Edler would slide down to the third pairing and suddenly Vancouver would have one of the strongest left sides across the entire National Hockey League.
Ekman-Larsson hasn’t had 50+ points in a season since 2016, but he’s still a very legit top pairing guy who is highly underrated. The 29-year-old would surely see a rise in point production playing with the young talent within the Canucks core and his strong two-way game would immediately make him the second-best defender on the team. He’s a jack of all trades and he’d be on the ice in all situations.
With Ekman-Larsson being as talented as he is and also five years younger than Edler, he would secure the backend for years to come and he’d be a big upgrade over re-signing Chris Tanev or Troy Stecher. His acquisition would also take care of having to find a replacement for Edler beyond next season and he’d be a terrific mentor for the up and coming Olli Juolevi.
If the price is right, Benning has to pull the trigger and bring the Canucks one step closer to Stanley Cup contention. This could be his best opportunity to move out some dead weight in contracts and bend the Coyotes demands to better suit the needs of the Vancouver Canucks.
Of course, only time will tell if a deal gets done, but for now the Canucks are the frontrunners to land Ekman-Larsson in a blockbuster trade. Keep your eyes on The Canuck Way for everything news related to the Canucks.