Follow @james_tanner123 The Arizona Coyotes are looking at having a really good season.
They've got the goalie, they've got the blue-line and they've got an extremely talented group of forwards.
They are also one of the only NHL teams without a black-hole somewhere on their roster.
Oh, and they've recently signed their franchise player, the best player to ever lace em up for the Coyotes, Oliver Ekman Larson, to a massive contract extension.
And with big money and a contract, maybe somone will finally notice how good this guy is.
Without any exageration, I can guarantee you that if Ekman-Larsson played for a bigger market team, he'd be one of the NHL's biggest stars. He should mentioned whenever someone says Erik Karlson, Victor Hedman or Seth Jones.
He scored 32 points as a rookie, and has (prorated of course for lockout and injury) scored at a 40 point pace every year since.
He consistently puts up 40 points and insane advanced stats despite playing on what has been one of the worst teams in the NHL.
But no one seems to care.
OEL is 27 and, amazingly, is entering his ninth NHL season. He has played 576 games without playing in a single playoff game since 2012. And that's the problem.
If you make the playoffs, it doesn't really matter if you are on Arizona or the Toronto Maple Leafs - perform in the playoffs and you'll build yourself a big name.
In the NHL, you're invisible if you don't make the playoffs. Connor McDavid just beat the entire league by 20 even-strength points, and they didn't give him the Hart Trophy. He's the only MVP to ever be denied due to managerial incompetence.
But Jesus, if they won't recognize Connor when his team sucks, how does OEL expect to get any traction?
Unfortunately, the Coyotes haven't given OEL a team worthy of his skills - until now.
The analysis around the NHL is so afraid of 'hot takes' that hardly anyone will say the truth: the Arizona Coyotes have a great roster. They're one elite forward away from having one of the best rosters in the NHL. Maybe they already do.
So trust me when I say that, come December, when everyone is talking about the NHL's 'biggest surprise' my eyebrows will be in their resting position.
And with this new found team success comes some long overdue recognition.
OEL will lead his team to the playoffs and, unshockingly to me, he will finally get his name on the Trophy he could have legitimately already one at least once - the Norris.
Good times ahead for the Coyotes.