This game looks like the beginning of the end for Oliver Ekman-Larsson. We didn't draft him as a green offensive-focused defenseman like Erik Karlsson was when he was young (and EK later progressed and got his shit together in his own end). We drafted him as a defensman who could produce respectably, but not at a Norris-caliber level (since the Norris trophy seems to be mostly for the best offensive defenseman rather than the best "all-around" defenseman), and be a reliable anchor in his own zone. OEL's offensive game is still pretty consistent with his 9 points in 16 games. That's not in question. He's gotten progressively worse on the back end though, and that worries me. If that's the type of player he's evolving into, we need to take him off the top pairing and shelter his minutes, because the way he's been playing this season, he's not a guy you want to be the big minute eater on the ice 25-30 minutes per game. It might be time to give him the Keith Yandle treatment in which case. Put him on a lower 5v5 pairing but keep him on the top power play unit; with whom I don't know. He just doesn't seem capable of being a number one defenseman anymore, but could easily thrive in a slightly diminished role. His career path seems to be following that of Paul Coffey but with a shorter peak. Coffey spent his later years being demoted to the 3rd pairing but iced on the top PP unit and put on the ice in situations where it was balls-to-the-wall trying to score. His defensive weakness wasn't a factor there, because he was no longer on the ice trying to hold down the fort, and was no longer used on the PK at that stage in his career. It's a shame because OEL is only 26 and that happened to Coffey after he was 35, though. I don't know what to think.
Pardon my ramble on the subject, but I will stand to the death by everything I just said.
