Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is listed as day to day after an examination of his injured left knee Sunday showed no structural damage.
Ekman-Larsson was injured when he got tangled with San Jose Sharks forward Mikkel Boedker, a former Coyote and one of Ekman-Larsson's closest friends, in a preseason game Saturday at Gila River Arena. Ekman-Larsson fell awkwardly to the ice along the boards, struggled to get up and had to be helped off the ice.
"It is good news," general manager John Chayka said after the examination. "It's a big relief."
The Coyotes are already without defenseman Jakob Chychrun, who is out indefinitely after offseason knee surgery. Chayka said at a town hall meeting on Saturday that Chychrun is still a few weeks away from skating, at which point the Coyotes would have a better idea of a timeline for his return.
Ekman-Larsson played despite a broken thumb for about six weeks last season, and he privately endured the failing health of his mother, Annika, who died of cancer two weeks before Ekman-Larsson took a leave of absence to be with his family for the final three games of the regular season.
The 26-year-old had 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists) in 79 games with the Coyotes last season. He led them with an average of 24:36 of ice time per game.
"Obviously, we dodged a bullet on this one," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. "He's a big part of our team, so it's nice to have him and know he's not going to be out long.
"There's no point in rushing him back, but if he can play he's going to play. If he's not 100 percent, we probably wouldn't play him."
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