Arizona Coyotes top defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was bitten on the hand by his family dog in May but is expected to be fine for the beginning of the season.
According to reports, the 28-year-old was briefly hospitalized and received four stitches. The dog was euthanized because it had been involved in similar incidents in the past.
Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm fine. This happened earlier in the summer, and sadly we had to put our dog down. I got four stitches that are healing up nicely. Thanks @sportexpressen for giving me something to do today. https://t.co/JQY5HxJGb0
— Oliver Ekman-Larsson (@OEL23) July 31, 2019
Ekman-Larsson had 14 goals and 44 points for the Coyotes last season, his ninth in the desert.
The Coyotes traded for winger Phil Kessel in the offseason, hoping to improve their anemic offense and propel the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Arizona fell just four points shy of the final wild-card spot last season.