Ekman-Larsson doesn't believe door completely closed on trade

The trade that never was involving Oliver Ekman-Larsson was one of the biggest stories of the offseason. It became abundantly clear that the Arizona Coyotes were trying to move their star defenceman in order to save money. Vancouver and Boston were the frontrunners, but Ekman-Larsson and his agent gave the Coyotes a deadline of the opening of free agency on October 9th to move him. The deadline came and went with no trade. However, in a new interview with AZ Coyotes Insider, Ekman-Larsson doesn't seem to think the door is completely shut yet.

Ekman, Larsson, who recently signed a new deal with the Coyotes worth $8.25 million per season, explained that he himself hand-picked the Bruins as one of the contenders for his services.

"I knew Boston had some interest in me before I signed my contract here. That was one of the teams I felt wanted me and showed interest in me, and I spent a lot of time in Boston when I played in Portland, Maine in the lockout year (2012-13), so I was familiar with the city and I liked it when I was there."

He went on to say that he really doesn't have much control over whether he is traded during the upcoming season.

"That's a question for (GM) Bill (Armstrong) to be honest with you. There's not much I can do about it. I'm just trying to stay in the moment. I know everybody says that but I really had a good offseason. I worked out really hard to show that I wanted to be here, wanted to get better and hopefully that transfers into the stuff on the ice. I feel really happy that I am here but if that day comes where they ask again, I will deal with it then."

Should Boston still want to land the 29-year-old, salary will definitely need to be moved. The team currently has around $6.5 million in unused cap space, not quite enough to fit Ekman-Larsson in. This story could continue for a while.

Source: AZ Coyotes Insider

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