The Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks pulled off a blockbuster trade just hours before the start of the 2021 NHL Draft, with five players and multiple picks changing hands.
The Coyotes under general manager Bill Armstrong clearly are in rebuilding mode now, having previously stockpiled a number of second-round picks over the next two drafts while taking on the contracts of Andrew Ladd and Shayne Gostisbehere.
Now, the team has gone even further by agreeing to a huge trade with the Vancouver Canucks that sees captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson (12% retained) and the rights to restricted free agent Connor Garland move north of the border.