In a recent poll of NHL analysts, Arizona Coyotes defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson was ranked the 10th best defenseman in the league.
The Arizona Coyotes don’t receive a lot of national recognition, but occasionally the hockey world remembers there is an elite defenseman in the desert.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson was named the 10th best defenseman in the NHL by a group of analysts, citing his goal-scoring as a big reason for the ranking.
OEL has scored 20-plus goals in two straight seasons.
With General Manager John Chayka’s blue-line additions taking some of the load off of the Swede, it’s entirely feasible that he could reach a career high total in goals and points.
Does OEL deserve his 10th place ranking, though? Should he be ranked higher? It all depends on how you evaluate defenders.
The inclusion of Shea Weber, Roman Josi, and the oft-injured Kris Letang over Oliver Ekman-Larsson is questionable to me.
When compared side-by-side with Letang in 2016, Ekman-Larsson is clearly the more reliable player on the back end while putting up similar levels of production up front.
There’s also the fact that one played for the eventual Stanley Cup winner among a plethora of talent, while the other played for a team that drafted 7th overall and is undergoing a rebuild.
The comparisons to Josi and Weber are even more favorable to OEL.
These HERO charts crystallize just how important of a piece #23 is to the puzzle Chayka is trying to build.
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He’ll continue to be underappreciated outside of the desert meanwhile chipping in another 20-goals, solid possession stats, and chasing the team lead in points.
Let’s make sure he’s not underappreciated here at home, however.
Arizona Coyotes News and Links
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