One player on each NHL team that should be traded

There once was a time when Oliver Ekman-Larsson was the most underrated defenseman in the league. He was the Mike Conley of the NHL. Everyone knew he was good. You talk to anyone who follows hockey closely and they would tell you how good he is. But casual fans didn’t know about him because he played in Arizona. And no one cares about Arizona.

Eventually, he became so underrated, that he was overrated. Basically, that means he was finally, properly rated. Still with me?

Now, Ekman-Larsson would be thrilled if people mentioned that he is underrated. It’s tough to be an underrated player when you’re on the worst team in the league and can’t do anything to lift them.

Is Ekman-Larsson being dragged down by a sinking team or is he the reason the team is sinking? The truth is somewhere in the middle. He’s a 26-year-old defenseman who can put up offensive numbers and has solid possession numbers. But he’s not good enough to lift the current group around him. In fairness to him, there are not many defensemen who could lift the Coyotes at this point.

This situation feels very similar to the situation between Matt Duchene and the Colorado Avalanche. Both parties would be better off away from each other. Ekman-Larsson needs a fresh start and the Coyotes need to blow things up. Like the Avalanche, Arizona should not be in a rush to deal Ekman-Larsson. Patience is typically rewarded in this league.

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Should Arizona move on from their franchise player, he won’t come cheap. And teams will likely be hesitant on acquiring him based on the Duchene trade. No one wants to be deal for damaged goods the way the Ottawa Senators did.