Oliver Ekman-Larsson is traveling back to Sweden today following the death of his mother.
The 25-year-old defenseman has been granted a leave of absence from the Arizona Coyotes. He will not play their final three games.
His mother had been battling cancer.
“This has been a very difficult year for me personally,” Ekman-Larsson said in a statement. “I’d like to thank the Coyotes organization and all of my teammates for their incredible support all season long. I’m sorry that I’ll miss our last three games but family comes first.”