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.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
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.
2020 NHL free agency live: Latest news, rumors, deals
Boston Bruins
Find the latest Boston Bruins news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
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.