There are several very good reasons to be excited about the Arizona Coyotes this season. Over the next few days, I'll be counting them down.
But first - did you ever see the movie the City of Lost Children? What in the hell was that??? Oh man that was the weirdest thing I ever saw. I shoulda just went with Alien!
Oh well, win some lose some!
On to the countdown:
#5 The Coyotes Re-Signed Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Once it became apparent that OEL was the best player in the history of the Coyotes, the fans got anxious about the chances of re-signing him.
I don't think even the Coyotes biggest fan (it's randomly Dolph Lundrgen for some reason) would have been that optimistic about Ekman-Larsson re-signing with the team.
Over the course of his career, he's dealt with Don Maloney, sixteen ownership changes, 109 rumours about the team moving, over 9000 losses, and a period of time in which the ghost of Miss Cleo was employed as the team's #1 centre.
So, many observers felt that he would bolt at the first chance he got.
Instead, he signed an eight year extension worth $8.25 million annually.
For context, John Carlson makes $8 million against the cap and is one year older and not even close to as good. It's only a million and a bit more expensive than Dion Phaneuf's contract.
It takes OEL to the age of 35 and essentially makes him a Coyotes for life.
As far as I know, it's the second highest (after Subban) contract for a defenseman in the NHL, but I'm OK with that. It shows that the Coyotes will commit money to their best players, and that they have a plan in place that makes a player of this calibre want to stay in Arizona.
OEL has never really gotten the credit he deserves because he's always been on a bad team, but he is among the best defenseman in the NHL and with a Coyotes team on the upswing, you can expect him to get a lot more name recognition going forward.
Because one of the best players in the NHL committed to Arizona for the rest of his career, and because of what that says about the state of the team and franchise, it's the fifth best reason to be pumped about the Coyotes this season.
Actually, it's probably the best reason, but for the sake of this arbitrary countdown, it's #5!
Washington Capitals Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»