Confirmed Buy-Out [VAN] D Oliver Ekman-Larsson bought out by the Canucks ($19.333333M over the next eight years)

[Jannik Hansen]

What ?? Watch

Didn't see anything in that video that was as bad as the OEL trade. Can you point out what I'm missing?

 

[DesertPenguin]

On the Pens as a #4? He's still got more in the tank than Dumoulin

 

[Bizz]

Vlasic was elite when he signed his deal ? I'd like to see a sharks fan verify that.

Your bullet points negate nothing. Chiarelli, Botteril and Doug Wilson were worse.

Vlasic didn't start sucking ass until after this contract was signed, then again this isn't something we haven't seen before. When you have a "Player's GM" like DW was, certain players will just play hard enough in their contract years to secure a bag then immediately turn to shit afterwards. Vlasic's main issues since then have all been between the ears and general laziness, it's not like he fell off much physically.

But that was nowhere near as bad as the OEL trade, that was terrible before it even happened.

 

[theslatcher]

Ekman-Larsson efter oväntade utköpet: "Jag blev förvånad"

Oliver Ekman-Larsson hade fyra år kvar på sitt kontrakt med Vancouver Canucks. Att bli utköpt var inget han såg framför sig. – Nej, det var en överraskning. Man har ju lite möten och sådant efter säsongen så jag trodde faktiskt inte att det skulle hända. Jag blev förvånad, säger han till...

hockeynews.se

Wants revenge, will look for another NHL gig and wants to prove any doubters wrong.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

His foot speed and compete levels are the biggest issues. He still can be a ~25-30 point, #5-6 on the right team.

 

[biturbo19]

Ekman-Larsson efter oväntade utköpet: "Jag blev förvånad"

Oliver Ekman-Larsson hade fyra år kvar på sitt kontrakt med Vancouver Canucks. Att bli utköpt var inget han såg framför sig. – Nej, det var en överraskning. Man har ju lite möten och sådant efter säsongen så jag trodde faktiskt inte att det skulle hända. Jag blev förvånad, säger han till...

hockeynews.se

Wants revenge, will look for another NHL gig and wants to prove any doubters wrong.

I don't know that his current footspeed is going to allow him to go on a bigtime "revenge tour". But i do think that if he's healthy again and can play like the year before last again, he'll quietly fill a lot of good minutes for somebody. Where he can pick his landing spot and ostensibly, select a place where he'll be a good fit as a #4D behind a strong defensive group with a really solid partner, and some opportunity to get back on the powerplay where he can generate some points.

 

[Outl4w]

Come join the Lightning and rebuild your game under your fellow countrymen Hedman and coach Cooper. The Lightning will be healthier next year and looking for blood and glory.

 

[seanlinden]

They've got 4 years of runway with Hughes. Trade Pettersson (and Miller) now, and you might be competitive by 2025 with the picks & prospects you get today.

 

[Ciao]

The NFL has no guaranteed contracts. In hockey, the player sits at home getting fair compensation doing nothing while the team is stuck with a caphit for x amount of years. Companies will terminate employees because of poor performance and the fired staff getting very little. How is this fair to you? What does a hockey player have that an engineer, HR specialist or even other any other profession doesn't?

The hockey player has a restriction on movement that engineers, HR specialists and other professionals don't have. They can quit and go elsewhere for higher pay any time they like.

If the hockey team isn't bound for the full term of the contract, then maybe the player shouldn't be bound either. If the player is having a good season, then maybe like a lawyer or an architect the hockey player should be allowed to quit and take a better offer elsewhere?

Then they would be just like everyone else, except that an NHL player has an average career expectancy of only four or five years, which makes those guaranteed contracts so vitally important.

 

[PuckInTheNards]

Wild fan here. $4.766 Million in dead cap is rookie numbers. You gotta pump those up.

 

[quat]

Ekman-Larsson efter oväntade utköpet: "Jag blev förvånad"

Oliver Ekman-Larsson hade fyra år kvar på sitt kontrakt med Vancouver Canucks. Att bli utköpt var inget han såg framför sig. – Nej, det var en överraskning. Man har ju lite möten och sådant efter säsongen så jag trodde faktiskt inte att det skulle hända. Jag blev förvånad, säger han till...

hockeynews.se

Wants revenge, will look for another NHL gig and wants to prove any doubters wrong.

OEL says all the right things and then does none of them on the ice. He took a giant dump all over the Canucks for putting their faith in him, gets a massive buy out and now wants revenge? Revenge on what? Playing terrible? Perhaps he'll get his revenge by returning some of those many millions he did nothing to earn.

 

[quat]

It's going to be fun if OEL comes back healthier and ends up signing with a deeper team for a reasonable price and fills a bunch of really solid #3/4D sort of minutes.

Curious to see which teams are interested, and which teams OEL is interested in signing with now that he's out on the open market. He'll probably get scooped up by Florida and promptly have a massive career resurgence on a cheap deal. Basking in the sunshine, out of the spotlight and pressure, with a fresh start and a ton of money in his pocket. St.Louis, Washington, or Long Island would be my other next guesses.

While that would be milding amusing, it's not going to happen because OEL is no longer a decent hockey player. He had so many chances to do what you're suggesting he might do, while being two years younger and he showed almost nothing. I don't get this idea that he was ever decent on the Canucks. The best he showed would be a bottom pairing guy who needed to be sheltered. He was pampered and given every opportunity to play well on the Canucks and he didn't.

That said, some team will most certainly take a flyer on him for his past and bad both the Coyotes and the Canucks have been for the last decade, but he'll shame them for giving him the opportunity. He's no better than Dekeyser was in his try out with the Canucks last season.

 

[mc1laren]

I like garland myself, I think he should and will have value in a year when the cap jumps up. Fact of the matter is our opinions are just that, opinions.

Garland was made available for free yet he is still a Canuck. That means he is at best a no value winger. If he had value, at least 1 of the other 31 GMs would have taken him for future considerations. Instead, the Canucks had to buyout OEL since they didn’t wanna attach assets to ditch Garland.

Hopefully both of us are right and if he is moved, it’s next year when his value should be at its peak as a Canuck

I think that had more to do with the league perception of the Canucks and being cap strapped. The other GM's smelled blood and tried to take advantage of a cap strapped team. Garland may be over paid by $500k or so but what he brings to the table definitely has value. I think with OEL gone and Van opening up cap space, they wont get backed into a corner and could make some decent hockey trades hopefully involving Myers, Garland and Beauvillier. Alternatively, get rid of Myers and Beau and keep Garland until year - maybe he bounces back under Tocchet.

Garland and Myers for Comtois and Henrique (as mentioned on the Canucks board)

 

[Canuck Luck]

I think that had more to do with the league perception of the Canucks and being cap strapped. The other GM's smelled blood and tried to take advantage of a cap strapped team. Garland may be over paid by $500k or so but what he brings to the table definitely has value. I think with OEL gone and Van opening up cap space, they wont get backed into a corner and could make some decent hockey trades hopefully involving Myers, Garland and Beauvillier. Alternatively, get rid of Myers and Beau and keep Garland until year - maybe he bounces back under Tocchet.

Garland and Myers for Comtois and Henrique (as mentioned on the Canucks board)

I've said I agree Garland is a good player that should have value, but it wasn't teams trying to take advantage of the Canucks. Look at the trade market for wingers. Colmbus only got a 3rd + 4th for Bjorkstrand whom was coming off a 28 goal, 57 point season signed for 5.4M x 4. Buchnevich returned a 2nd + a 4th liner in Blais coming off a 20 goal 48 point season in 54 games.

Wingers currently have a very low trade market due to it being the least important, most easily replaceable position in hockey.

Once the cap goes up, they may have closer to normal value again, but unless you are a winger that brings something rare to the table (like Tkachuk), the trade markets are bare.

When it comes to that Garland + Myers for Comtois + Henrique deal, Anaheim easily declines. Henrique has the most value of any player in that deal, Myers has negative value today, Anaheim would be better off just letting Comtois walk to UFA, and keeping Henrique to sell at the TDL.

 

[biturbo19]

While that would be milding amusing, it's not going to happen because OEL is no longer a decent hockey player. He had so many chances to do what you're suggesting he might do, while being two years younger and he showed almost nothing. I don't get this idea that he was ever decent on the Canucks. The best he showed would be a bottom pairing guy who needed to be sheltered. He was pampered and given every opportunity to play well on the Canucks and he didn't.

That said, some team will most certainly take a flyer on him for his past and bad both the Coyotes and the Canucks have been for the last decade, but he'll shame them for giving him the opportunity. He's no better than Dekeyser was in his try out with the Canucks last season.

I think you're really rewriting history here with this. OEL wasn't productive because as most people anticipated...he had no real PP opportunity with the Canucks, behind Hughes who is much better at the same role. But he was surprisingly solid defensively that first year with the Canucks. He played well in some pretty tough minutes, while dragging the Chaos Giraffe around with him.

Last season, he looked clearly injured from the beginning of the year. His mobility was never great with the Canucks or those last years in Arizona, but last season it was clearly degraded significantly from the time camp broke right up until he disappeared onto the IR. It's possible he just completely fell off a cliff...but it seems a lot more reasonable that he was trying to play through some sort of nagging injury, to have dropped off so suddenly in that regard over the course of a summer.


He was absolutely in a different stratosphere of performance from DeKeyser's tryout. DeKeyser was just completely broken and useless for every single second of that endeavor. The fact OEL looked a little bit like that toward the end of his Canucks tenure before going on the LTIR is really just more indication that OEL wasn't healthy last year. Comparing the two is a huge exaggeration.

 

[quat]

I think you're really rewriting history here with this. OEL wasn't productive because as most people anticipated...he had no real PP opportunity with the Canucks, behind Hughes who is much better at the same role. But he was surprisingly solid defensively that first year with the Canucks. He played well in some pretty tough minutes, while dragging the Chaos Giraffe around with him.

Last season, he looked clearly injured from the beginning of the year. His mobility was never great with the Canucks or those last years in Arizona, but last season it was clearly degraded significantly from the time camp broke right up until he disappeared onto the IR. It's possible he just completely fell off a cliff...but it seems a lot more reasonable that he was trying to play through some sort of nagging injury, to have dropped off so suddenly in that regard over the course of a summer.


He was absolutely in a different stratosphere of performance from DeKeyser's tryout. DeKeyser was just completely broken and useless for every single second of that endeavor. The fact OEL looked a little bit like that toward the end of his Canucks tenure before going on the LTIR is really just more indication that OEL wasn't healthy last year. Comparing the two is a huge exaggeration.

Indeed, I am exaggerating (in particular with the Dekeyser comparison), but I never expected OEL to be a big point producer (others may have) because that wasn't going to be his role.

Personally, Myers dragged OEL up to being decent (as we all know, Myers does have these runs of games where his upside is apparent before he once again completely forgets how to play defense and goes back into the toilet) as much as the opposite, and the that was absolutely peak OEL.

I never agreed with this idea that OEL was reliable at all and that he was playing a sound game. He was certainly better for a period of time before he fell apart, but I think the previous years in the desert suggests that was predictable. His body (like Dekeyser's), is giving up the ghost and whatever his game is, it's not playing defense first, which is the role he's been slotted into.

I think people keep looking for reasons to explain why this once very high end player has turned into a marginal bottom pairing player. The Canucks defense, when he was with the team, was historically bad, and he played a very large role in that.

Anyway, I hear where you're coming from, and I've read the same over the years on the Canucks boards ... I just find it it far too forgiving for how OEL performed. My view is no doubt influenced by never wanting him on the Canucks, and then watching Benning spend two seasons landing him with one of the dumbest trades in league history ... and then watching him be so ineffective while he was with the team.

I'll be incredibly surprised if he finds any kind of sustained renaissance on a different team.

 

[biturbo19]

Indeed, I am exaggerating (in particular with the Dekeyser comparison), but I never expected OEL to be a big point producer (others may have) because that wasn't going to be his role.

Personally, Myers dragged OEL up to being decent (as we all know, Myers does have these runs of games where his upside is apparent before he once again completely forgets how to play defense and goes back into the toilet) as much as the opposite, and the that was absolutely peak OEL.

I never agreed with this idea that OEL was reliable at all and that he was playing a sound game. He was certainly better for a period of time before he fell apart, but I think the previous years in the desert suggests that was predictable. His body (like Dekeyser's), is giving up the ghost and whatever his game is, it's not playing defense first, which is the role he's been slotted into.

I think people keep looking for reasons to explain why this once very high end player has turned into a marginal bottom pairing player. The Canucks defense, when he was with the team, was historically bad, and he played a very large role in that.

Anyway, I hear where you're coming from, and I've read the same over the years on the Canucks boards ... I just find it it far too forgiving for how OEL performed. My view is no doubt influenced by never wanting him on the Canucks, and then watching Benning spend two seasons landing him with one of the dumbest trades in league history ... and then watching him be so ineffective while he was with the team.

I'll be incredibly surprised if he finds any kind of sustained renaissance on a different team.

While we disagree on how effective OEL was at his peak with the Canucks and whether he was carrying Myers or vice versa...i think we do agree on the principle that the trade never made any sense, precisely because of the bolded. Shoehorning him into a defensive role just never made any sense. That's never been his game and was especially not something i'd have expected him to find any success in whatsoever, as he's clearly lost a step.

That's where i really do think he's got a chance to see a significant resurgence...if he's careful and deliberate with his chosen landing spot. If he ends up in a place where he can be a #4D and also get himself significant powerplay time...i do think he'll rebound and look very reasonably competent again. If he can get back to that role he was successful in and doesn't have the weight of $7M expectations on his shoulders.

Whether he chooses his new team wisely or not...will significant impact how well i expect his "revenge season" to go.

 

[sting101]

I think you're really rewriting history here with this. OEL wasn't productive because as most people anticipated...he had no real PP opportunity with the Canucks, behind Hughes who is much better at the same role. But he was surprisingly solid defensively that first year with the Canucks. He played well in some pretty tough minutes, while dragging the Chaos Giraffe around with him.

Last season, he looked clearly injured from the beginning of the year. His mobility was never great with the Canucks or those last years in Arizona, but last season it was clearly degraded significantly from the time camp broke right up until he disappeared onto the IR. It's possible he just completely fell off a cliff...but it seems a lot more reasonable that he was trying to play through some sort of nagging injury, to have dropped off so suddenly in that regard over the course of a summer.


He was absolutely in a different stratosphere of performance from DeKeyser's tryout. DeKeyser was just completely broken and useless for every single second of that endeavor. The fact OEL looked a little bit like that toward the end of his Canucks tenure before going on the LTIR is really just more indication that OEL wasn't healthy last year. Comparing the two is a huge exaggeration.

While we disagree on how effective OEL was at his peak with the Canucks and whether he was carrying Myers or vice versa...i think we do agree on the principle that the trade never made any sense, precisely because of the bolded. Shoehorning him into a defensive role just never made any sense. That's never been his game and was especially not something i'd have expected him to find any success in whatsoever, as he's clearly lost a step.

That's where i really do think he's got a chance to see a significant resurgence...if he's careful and deliberate with his chosen landing spot. If he ends up in a place where he can be a #4D and also get himself significant powerplay time...i do think he'll rebound and look very reasonably competent again. If he can get back to that role he was successful in and doesn't have the weight of $7M expectations on his shoulders.

Whether he chooses his new team wisely or not...will significant impact how well i expect his "revenge season" to go.

Two spot on excellent posts BT.

I think the biggest thing that happened in regards to the decision is they came to a few conclusions.

1 that it was an easy way to create 12 million in cap space over the next 2 years short term
2 it got them out of cap jail and now they have flexibility and an ability to deal with the rest of the roster appropriately out from the position on weakness they have been in
3 that OEL at 32/33 was damaged goods and a poor stylistic fit which you commented on "even if" he could return to his first years form which was a good pairing with Myers we watched him barely able to get to his skates last season and no longer played with any stiffness and sandpaper and the roster is in dire need of a good shut down pairing that has those components behind Hughes and Hronek's style of play and furthermore some of the depth players.

As far as OEL he was good year 1 after a bit of a poor start as he adjusted and the team was in turmoil before Boudreau. Last year was poor from the start and got worse and he laboured badly from injury and decay. I was of the opinion that he could bounce back and become a decent partner for Hronek with better systems and goaltending in place but as has been documented before his and Tocchets relationship has been prickly and he's just a bad fit for the defensive group. I think on the right team if he can stay healthy he could be a good reclamation project.

 

[iFan]

Ekman-Larsson efter oväntade utköpet: "Jag blev förvånad"

Oliver Ekman-Larsson hade fyra år kvar på sitt kontrakt med Vancouver Canucks. Att bli utköpt var inget han såg framför sig. – Nej, det var en överraskning. Man har ju lite möten och sådant efter säsongen så jag trodde faktiskt inte att det skulle hända. Jag blev förvånad, säger han till...

hockeynews.se

Wants revenge, will look for another NHL gig and wants to prove any doubters wrong.

wants revenge? For what? He sucked and didn’t compete at all. His down fall was on him alone, he had loads of opportunity to bounce back and he decided to cash it in… he pretty much cashed in his career after he signed that big contract.

 

[quat]

While we disagree on how effective OEL was at his peak with the Canucks and whether he was carrying Myers or vice versa...i think we do agree on the principle that the trade never made any sense, precisely because of the bolded. Shoehorning him into a defensive role just never made any sense. That's never been his game and was especially not something i'd have expected him to find any success in whatsoever, as he's clearly lost a step.

That's where i really do think he's got a chance to see a significant resurgence...if he's careful and deliberate with his chosen landing spot. If he ends up in a place where he can be a #4D and also get himself significant powerplay time...i do think he'll rebound and look very reasonably competent again. If he can get back to that role he was successful in and doesn't have the weight of $7M expectations on his shoulders.

Whether he chooses his new team wisely or not...will significant impact how well i expect his "revenge season" to go.

Yes, we're certainly on the same page with the very odd decision to pursue OEL, leaving aside the crazy price paid. Square pegs and round holes and all that.

A few days later, and I'd have to agree that if such a situation were made available to OEL, there is a possibility he might perform reasonably well, but I'm not sure why anyone would want him over someone in their organization that's hungry to make the NHL. Which team wants to offer an older, declining defender, safe minutes and time on the second unit PP?

By the sounds of it in a few recent articles, there's a slew of teams eager to get him on their team, so it seems my opinion is not a popular one.

 

[TS Quint]

OEL says all the right things and then does none of them on the ice. He took a giant dump all over the Canucks for putting their faith in him, gets a massive buy out and now wants revenge? Revenge on what? Playing terrible? Perhaps he'll get his revenge by returning some of those many millions he did nothing to earn.

The Canucks are a shit show With some of the dumbest people in NHL management running things. Like Kevin Lowe levels. When you have Bruce Boudreau shitting on them on the TDL show you know it’s bad.

OEL is going to enjoy the Florida sun.

 

[rypper]

They've got 4 years of runway with Hughes. Trade Pettersson (and Miller) now, and you might be competitive by 2025 with the picks & prospects you get today.

This isn't NHL '23.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

Is this the biggest buyout in NHL history?

 

[nucks88]

Is this the biggest buyout in NHL history?

6th...

 

[Warh1ppy]

The irony of this is how Canucks GM Allvin came out and said Pearson is expected or expecting to be ready for the preseason as well as potentially Poolman means that any cap savings or space created by this move in the short term are potentially completely gone already.

This may end the Canucks streak of crazy UFA signings that never pan out.