Oliver Ekman-Larsson played through a foot injury the final month of the season.

Ekman-Larsson didn't miss a game despite the injury, but he won't be playing for Sweden in the upcoming world championships. It was another strong season for Ekman-Larsson, who registered three goals and 24 points to go along with a plus-5 rating and 26 penalty minutes. He should be pretty high on the list of fantasy defensemen entering next season.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson's two assists helped the Coyotes beat Colorado 4-0 Saturday night.

With a big new contract and impressive progress made in his third NHL season, the 21-year old Swede is a legitimate fantasy force with 21 points so far in 2013. Don't forget that although Ekman-Larsson can produce points, hits and log a lot of minutes, he needs to improve on his consistency as has yet to establish himself in the same top tier as defensemen such as his teammate Keith Yandle.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson's camp and the Phoenix Coyotes have had some preliminary talks regarding a contract extension.

Ekman-Larsson is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. His entry-level contract comes with a $1.75 million cap hit and that should increase given his performance thus far. He broke out with 32 points last season and has 17 points in 26 contests in 2013. "We'll pay on performance. We have no problem," Coyotes GM Don Maloney said. "But we won't pay on potential. In Oliver's case, he's having a terrific season. He's somebody we expect to sign at some point and hopefully for a long time."