"A real bright spot," General Manager John Chayka said of Ekman-Larsson's performance wearing the 'C' on his sweater. "With all those different things that he went through in his first year as a captain, I was extremely impressed."
The biggest lesson Ekman-Larsson learned is that a captain has to be invested in all 20-plus players and not just in himself.
"It's not all about you," Ekman-Larsson said. "It's all about your teammates, and making them have a good time and feel good and feel comfortable ... There's so much more that you have to think about instead of just thinking about your game."
Managing 20-plus teammates, he said, can be a little tricky.
"Everybody's different," Ekman-Larsson said. "Some guys you can scream and yell at a little bit, and some guys you need to back off, maybe, and have a one-on-one talk with them."