Should the St. Louis Blues consider Oliver Ekman-Larsson?

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, longtime captain of the Arizona Coyotes, is coming off a championship as a member of the Florida Panthers.

At 32 years old, Ekman-Larsson possesses the veteran leadership of an ideal defender and plenty of talent.

Over the course of an entire season of play with the Florida Panthers, Ekman-Larsson played pretty well.

2023-24: 80 games, 9 goals, 23 assists, 32 points, 18:23 TOI.

He is one of several free agents in Florida, joining fellow defenseman Brandon Montour whose contract is expiring.

Most hockey experts predict that Montour is on his way out of Florida for a big payday. If that happens, expect Florida to sign Ekman-Larsson to replace him for the next few seasons.

Regardless, it is still possible to pursue Ekman-Larsson. His 2023-24 contract paid him $2.25 million for one year. These numbers are reasonable and the Blues could match or even beat.

Ekman-Larsson ultimately stole ice time from Montour in the Stanley Cup Final, notably on power play attempts.

His presence was known, especially during the last two matches.

The St. Louis Blues don’t have a dominant team like the Panthers, so if Ekman-Larsson is looking for an elite team right now, he might not even consider the Blues.

However, the Blues are good enough to make the playoffs, and with the right players, they can fill the holes and make some noise in the playoffs. Most fans recognize that the main weaknesses of the current Blues team lie within the defensive unit.

Ekman-Larsson is a legitimate option to not only fill the Blues’ defensive gaps, but also bring a veteran presence to the locker room.

While it may seem like a stretch, Ekman-Larsson is a defenseman that general manager Doug Armstrong should definitely have on his radar.