The Arizona Coyotes have granted defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson a leave of absence from the team following the death of his mother in Sweden.

Ekman-Larsson will miss the team's final three games of the season as he travel back to his native country to be with his family.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Oliver and his family during this very difficult time," Coyotes general manager John Chayka said. "Oliver has done a remarkable job dealing with this issue all season long and we commend him for the professionalism that he's demonstrated. It's important that he travels back to Sweden now to be with his family."

The 25-year-old scored 12 goals and added 27 assists in 79 games with the Coyotes this season. He drew an assist on each of his team's two goals in their 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings Sunday.

A first-round pick in 2009, Ekman-Larsson made his debut with the Coyotes during the 2010-11 season.

His mother passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer.

"This has been a very difficult year for me personally," said Ekman-Larsson. "I'd like to thank the Coyotes organization and all of my teammates for their incredible support all season long. I'm sorry that I'll miss our last three games but family comes first."