Oliver Ekman-Larsson is severely overrated and highly overpaid. He's got seven years left at a huge cap hit and his numbers suggest he's become poor defensively. He's still an excellent PPQB and decent offensively, but I don't think a team with cap issues (or incoming cap issues) should go anywhere near him.
I know that when a defenceman on a neglected team gets a reputation for being good and underrated it's heresy to counter that narrative at all (even 4 years later), but he has taken a huge hit since 2017-18 and in my opinion his price tag (both in cap hit and trade value) is way too high to risk it.
Schenn is a decent enough 1B centre at a fair number, and the Blues already have a disastrous long-term offensive defenceman contract - I don't think they need to risk another one.
Tocchet has been a complete failure as a head coach. The eye test tells me OEL is actually better defensively since becoming captain, but the team is really a train-wreck that depends heavily on goalies to bail them out. If Tocchet were fired before play resumes, and a bonafide NHL head coach replaced him, I think we would see a huge resurgence from OEL. A lot was made about how strained their relationship was early on and how much they struggled to fit with one another. Then it all got dropped, and everyone kind of assumed the hatchet was buried. I'm not so sure.
OEL didn't lose his physical ability or skill. He still shows it in flashes. Particularly when the game heats up and he finds himself engaged in a war with a particular player on the other team. When he starts battling, and shuts his brain off, he looks like the OEL of old. I think lousy coaching, and the subsequent loss after loss after loss has piled up on OEL. The Coyotes are a maddening team to watch. I'm sure it's much worse to be the captain of this mess, when you rightfully have no faith in your horrible coaching staff.
He still has his ability. He's just playing a much more muted game. Glaring mistakes have been reduced along with the highlight reel plays. He's been toned down way too much. I'd love to see him break-free and start playing that high-flying, passionate, entertaining game that was once his signature. I just don't think it's going to happen for this coaching staff.
The Coyotes need to clean house. I think they need to clear out the front-office, the coaching staff, and the on-ice leadership group. Kessel, Stepan, and Goligoski are all solid enough players, usually. But they are severely miscast as leaders. These are very passive, support players. Kessel was once an elite support player, but he was a support player. Chayka and Tocchet have built the team, and the leadership group around quiet, details guys, who never get their blood up, and play very passive games. It's not working.