Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

What Will Oliver-Ekman-Larsson Do?

03/08/2018 at 3:54pm EST

from Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet,

Doughty is also a two-time Stanley Cup winner, a Norris Trophy winner, a confident leader who is driven to win, demands much from himself and teammates, and excels under pressure.

Ekman-Larsson has spent his entire eight-year career in the shadows with one of the NHL’s poorest and least-visible franchises. He has been to the playoffs once. What pressure?

Yes, it’s great for the Coyotes that he wants to stay. But whether he does, whether the Coyotes will show him the money this summer when contract talks can begin, probably hinges on whether, at least in leadership and drive, Ekman-Larsson can become more like Doughty.

"When you look at the best defencemen in the league — Doughty, Karlsson — he has to want to be on that list," Arizona’s first-year coach Rick Tocchet said. "I expect him to be on that list because that’s how good he can be.

"I think any athlete when you get used to something, you can get comfortable. All I know is to win you have to be uncomfortable. He knows he has to do some uncomfortable things — put it that way – to be a leader."

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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