The Vancouver Canucks are paying Oliver Ekman-Larsson a hefty sum to join another team.Vancouver plans to buy out the highly paid defenseman, his agent Kevin Epp told CHEK's Rick Dhaliwal. Ekman-Larsson will become an unrestricted free agent as a result.Epp said the Canucks informed him of the decision Friday morning. He added that Ekman-Larsson's camp was surprised because it got the impression a buyout wouldn't happen after meeting with ownership and management once Vancouver's season ended.The veteran blue-liner has four years remaining on the eight-year pact he signed with the Arizona Coyotes on July 1, 2018. It carried an $8.25-million cap hit before the buyout. The Canucks will now pay him nearly $20 million over the next eight years. Massive buyout for Oliver Ekman-Larsson sprinkled over the next 8 years. The #Canucks are paying him $19.5 million in real cash to go away, per @CapFriendly. pic.twitter.com/zSwNBPHLPh— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 16, 2023 The Canucks acquired Ekman-Larsson and forward Conor Garland in a July 2021 trade with the Coyotes. Vancouver sent Arizona three draft picks, including a first-rounder that become Dylan Guenther, plus forwards Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle, and Antoine Roussel.Ekman-Larsson's play declined sharply in recent years. Prime Oliver Ekman-Larsson was so good 😥 pic.twitter.com/3tWFJoLvWI— Evolving-Hockey (@EvolvingHockey) June 16, 2023 The Swedish rearguard, who'll turn 32 on July 17, posted at least 39 points per season for six straight campaigns from 2013-14 to 2018-19, including a 55-point output over 75 games in 2015-16. However, he failed to produce more than 30 in any of the next four seasons, and his average ice time dropped from 23:35 over his first 10 campaigns to 21:20 in his last three.The Coyotes drafted Ekman-Larsson sixth overall in 2009.