Ekman-Larsson putting near-trade behind him

After a whirlwind offseason for Arizona Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the defenseman is happy he's staying with the team and willing to forget the fact he was almost traded.

"(General manager Bill Armstrong) got in at a tough time, needed to make some decisions and stuff like that," Ekman-Larsson said, according to Arizona Republic's Jose M. Romero. "But we've had some good conversations so far and I'm looking forward to getting to know him better. It's been good, but at the same time, it's easier to talk face to face than over the phone or Skype or Facetime. I don't think it's going to be a problem putting that behind, not from me at least. That's all I can talk about."

It was reported shortly after the Coyotes hired Armstrong in September that the team asked Ekman-Larsson to waive his no-movement clause.

The 29-year-old submitted only two teams to which he would accept a trade, and, ultimately, nothing came of the discussions.

Ekman-Larsson added that he understands situations can become tricky when it comes to hockey decisions by management.

"I also get that it's a business side of things, and that's how it works," Ekman-Larsson said. "I hope that's one of the reasons why I'm the captain of this club, because I do think about other people and my teammates. That's something I grew up doing and it's who I am as a person."

Ekman-Larsson inked an eight-year, $66-million extension with the Coyotes in 2018.