Oliver Ekman-Larsson's camp is sticking to its word.
Ekman-Larsson's agent said earlier this week the Arizona Coyotes defenseman would accept a trade to either the Boston Bruins or Vancouver Canucks before NHL free agency began Friday at 12 p.m. ET.
If a deal didn't come before then, his agent said, Ekman-Larsson would stay with the Coyotes.
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Well, no deal came before 12 p.m. ET on Friday. And Ekman-Larsson is staying with the Coyotes, his agent told AZCoyotesInsider.com's Craig Morgan.
The Bruins had discussions with Arizona involving the 29-year-old defenseman but didn't like the Coyotes' asking price, TSN's Darren Dreger reported Thursday.
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The sides apparently couldn't resolve their differences, so Ekman-Larsson and his lengthy contract -- an $8.25 million annual cap hit over the next seven seasons -- are staying put.
That means the Bruins will need blue line help if defenseman Torey Krug departs in free agency. Ekman-Larsson is a top-four defenseman who could have helped fill Krug's void, but it appears his price tag was too steep for Don Sweeney and Co.