The Phoenix Coyotes locked up one of their exceptional young talents on Monday afternoon, as they signed Oliver Ekman-Larsson to his entry-level deal. The financial details have not surfaced at the time of the post, but being a 1st round pick, 6th overall, will likely net him some of the maximum bonuses that come with being drafted so high, so he'll be looking at an early cap hit of about $3 million for his first three seasons.Ekman-Larsson will likely get a long look at camp, but I think it is fair to point out that head coach Dave Tippett was not in a big hurry to have many 18 or 19-year olds on his roster in October, making sure they had plenty of development time in the AHL, likely gaining more and more responsibility with the puck. The kid is supposed to have all sorts of puck moving abilities, moreso offensively, but it may be the play away from the puck or handling the bigger bodies on smaller North American ice, which will likely keep him from an immediate start in the NHL.
The way he is being touted though, he might just be the kind of player you would like to have in reserve for your keeper pool, especially if he is as offensively gifted as we're led to believe he is.
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