While Oliver Ekman-Larsson has long been a leader for the Arizona Coyotes, this season his jersey might finally reflect that.

The club is reportedly set to hand the "C" to Ekman-Larsson - now that Shane Doan won't be back - and for the 26-year-old, it's a privilege he never envisioned, but one he certainly welcomes.

"That would be a huge honor," Ekman-Larsson said, according to NHL.com's Tim Campbell. "I didn't dream of that when I was a kid. It was a long, long way from that. It would be unbelievable."

Giving Ekman-Larsson the captaincy is part of club's offseason shift to attempt to rise from the depths of the Western Conference.

The club added Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta, but Ekman-Larsson admits the move he's most excited about is the addition of defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, who's expected to be his new defense partner.

"Bringing Hjalmarsson, I think that's a really good pickup by us," Ekman-Larsson said. "He can help our young team to really get better and to just see and be around a guy like that … I know from playing with him (on the Swedish national team), we can learn a lot. He knows what it takes to win.

"He's super easy to play with. He talks a lot and he's a good skater and moves the puck. I would say he's underrated."

The Coyotes finished with the West 's third-worst record in 2017, but only time will tell if new leadership and a stronger roster can drive them up the standings.

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