Earlier this week, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and his agent set a Friday deadline for the Coyotes to get a trade done with either the Bruins or Canucks, the only two teams for whom he agreed to waive his no-trade clause.
If nothing gets done before free agency opens, he'll be staying in Arizona, according to his agent.
The Coyotes want to get a deal done in order to free up money, as Ekman-Larsson is signed for seven more years with an annual cap hit of $8.25 million.
Their options are limited, though, and they don't have a whole lot of leverage. Both the Bruins and Canucks should know that, and it appears at least the Bruins do.
Sportsnet's Chris Johnston and Elliotte Friedman reported on Monday that the Coyotes like Boston's prospects more than Vancouver's, but that the Canucks have been more aggressive in their pursuit.
Now TSN's Darren Dreger is reporting that "Arizona is waiting for Boston to make its move on OEL, but the Bruins don't like the asking price."
It's unclear exactly what that asking price is, but the chatter has been that the Coyotes are looking for at least one high draft pick and at least one top prospect or NHL-ready young player.
So, with less than 24 hours to sort this out before Ekman-Larsson's deadline, it appears there is something of a staring contest going on.
The Canucks have reportedly made their offer. The Coyotes are hoping the Bruins will beat it. And the Bruins are at least giving off the appearance that they're not desperate enough to do so.
Now we wait and see if anything changes by Friday afternoon.
