Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Chayka's moves, World Cup of Hockey (Puck Daddy Q&A)
Oliver Ekman-Larsson gushes when he’s asked about the Arizona Coyotes’ offseason and some of the moves the team has made with new general manager John Chayka.
Defenseman Alex Goligsoki, “is going to help our team to get better to take a couple of steps closer to the playoffs.”
Defenseman Luke Schenn, “plays strong and physical.”
Chayka himself is, “obviously he’s a smart guy and still a pretty young guy. He’s super smart and he knows what he’s doing.”
When asked about Pavel Datsyuk, the former Detroit Red Wings forward who left that team for the KHL, Ekman-Larsson laughs.
The Coyotes acquired Datsyuk’s salary cap hit during the offseason in order to help them get past the salary cap floor and increase their level of young assets.
“It would be fun to have him on the roster, but obviously he’s going to play in the KHL,” the 25-year-old Swedish defenseman said.
For the first time in a while there’s a legit sense of optimism around the team. Last summer the Coyotes handed the keys to the organization to Ekman-Larsson along with forwards Max Domi and Anthony Duclair. The team knew what it had in Ekman-Larsson, but Domi and Duclair were wild cards. After strong rookie years by both forwards there’s a much more positive vibe around the franchise.
When he signed his six-year contract extension with the team in 2013 they were coming off a run to the Western Conference Final. Since then the Coyotes had fallen on hard, the most difficult year coming in 2014-15 when they held the second-worst record in the NHL. Ekman-Larsson admitted he wondered about the team’s direction after that season, and worried about being locked into a long-term deal with a rebuilding group.
Last season they made the dramatic improvement from 56 points the year before to 78 points. This upcoming year, making the playoffs will again be tough but they’re certainly a greater possibility than last season. Ekman-Larsson, who is widely regarded as one of the top young defensemen in the NHL, set career-highs with 55 points and 34 assists.
We talked to Ekman-Larsson about the Coyotes’ future, his future with the team, the World Cup of Hockey and of course, his clothing line.
Q: Is there a move John Chayka made that you liked the most?
Ekman-Larsson: I think the trade and the signing of Alex Goligoski is going to help our team to get better to take a couple of steps closer to the playoffs. You see last year he was around good players and he’s a really good player – good puck mover and good skater too. I think he’s going to help us a lot this upcoming season here. Luke Schenn is a good player. He plays strong and physical, so I’m super excited about the back end.
Not Pavel Datsyuk?
It would be fun to have him on the roster, but obviously he’s going to play in the KHL, which is — yeah, he’s a world-class player. That would have been fun to play with him, but that’s not going to happen.
Did you ever think about reaching out to him that maybe he would change his mind?
No, I didn’t think about that. He made up his mind before but obviously it’s too bad for the league and too bad for Detroit too. He had been a good player for them and a tough, hard player in this league for a long time.
What was your reaction when the team decided Chayka would be the general manager? You two are around the same age. Did you ask him if he wanted to hang out or something?
Yeah, obviously he’s a smart guy and still a pretty young guy. He’s super smart and he knows what he’s doing. If you look at what he has done so far with the team, he looks super interested, but I haven’t talked much with him. He was around the last season but it’s going to be fun to catch up with him and see what he wants me to do and what he wants the team to do moving forward here.
What was your relationship with him when he was with the team as assistant general manager last season?
I saw him a couple of times. I talked to him when I saw him. We didn’t talk much hockey or anything like that, but I’m super excited he got the GM job and I think he’s going to be really good for us.
Has he reached out to you to discuss the team’s plans this offseason or his vision for the Coyotes?
No, I haven’t talked much with him. I’ve been trying to focus on the offseason here, but I think it’s interesting to see that he wants to improve this team and he really wants us to move along here and take a couple of steps in the right direction. With that said I thought Don did a real good job with this organization and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.
Two years ago when you guys had the second-worst record in the NHL, what was your mindset at the end of the season? You had four years left on your contract but it seemed like there wasn’t much hope on the horizon. Did you ever feel stuck or trapped?
Your mind keeps floating away and I was wondering what was going to happen here about the team. Are we going to stay or are we going to go somewhere else? But I’m super happy that I have three more years with the organization. I’m just happy to be a part of this process here and I want to be a leader with this team and I want to be a difference maker. I’m super happy about the situation now.
What was the room like last year with Max Domi and Anthony Duclair coming in? It seems like that gave you a boost of energy.
They helped us out a lot. They’re unbelievable guys and unbelievable players and they’re only going to get better for us too. So hopefully they can keep moving along here and keep getting better so they have to keep working hard and I think going into this season here and I think Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak are going to come in and help us here more so I’m super excited about the future and I’m happy to be a part of that.
What does Shane Doan do as captain that some of us don’t see?
He’s a big help. When I came over he helped me with everything and to be able to play with a guy like Shane and being around him helps a lot because I want to be a leader like I said and to be around a guy like Shane helps me a lot. I think everybody in that locker room can look at him and see what he does and see how he acts and takes care of himself on and off the ice. I think that’s really good for our young team to see a guy like Shane.
What is the goal this year? Is this a playoff team?
I think we have to focus on the development of the younger players like Max and Duclair and Strome and Dvorak. We know they’re going to be good players for us and we will have a better chance to make the playoffs. I don’t know if we’ll be in the playoffs next year or two years from now but the future is looking bright, so I’m super excited about that.
Has your World Cup training started? Where are you on getting ready for the tournament?
We had a meeting last week so we went through the basics and how we were going to play and everything like that. It’s good to see everybody and we’re getting closer and getting more excited for every day. We’re going to meet up in September and start in Sweden here for two weeks then head over to Washington for an exhibition game and then to Toronto.
Was it tough to get yourself up and going quicker than usual for the World Cup? Training?
I’ve been running a lot and working on my quickness. I’m feeling really good and hoping to be ready to go when the World Cup starts. I’m ahead of the program a little bit.
I took two weeks off and then was back at it. It was a short break but obviously I’m super excited for the World Cup coming up here and it should be a lot of fun. Yeah, obviously I love what I’m doing and I don’t have a problem with starting a few weeks early.
So how is the clothing line going?
We haven’t been promoting the clothes or the brand very much this season. I’ve been busy with hockey and other stuff, but it’s a lot of fun to have something else to do besides hockey and you have to focus on something else during the offseason. We’re doing pretty good
What’s it like being involved in the clothing business and also playing hockey? It sounds like you have a ton on your plate right now.
Hockey comes first and that’s what I’m focused on, but at the same time I decided to do something with my name and it would be kind of fun to do it when you’re playing and when you’re in your prime time instead of doing it when you’re done playing. That’s why I decided to do it.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
