He's back to where he enjoyed his top success.
The floundering Pittsburgh Penguins have made their first trade of what could eventually be many in the 2024-25 NHL season.
They've sent forward Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals, and in return are receiving a 2027 third-round draft pick and a 2025 fifth-round draft pick (originally belonging to Chicago).
Eller returns to the franchise where he enjoyed his top success, which included scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal in Game 5 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Eller and the Capitals will next hit the ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Capital One Arena on Wednesday night, while the Penguins are in action at the same time against the visiting Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena.
Lars Eller returns to the Capitals, whom he helped win the Stanley Cup in 2018
A native of Denmark, Eller was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues, with whom he began his career.
However, he would be traded in a blockbuster deal to the Montreal Canadiens as part of a package that sent goaltender Jaroslav Halak back to St. Louis in 2010. He played the next several years of his career with the Habs, even helping them to an appearance in the 2014 Eastern Conference Final.
Eventually, he was traded to the Capitals and signed a five-year, $17.5 million contract extension with the club in February of 2018. He helped Washington win th
e franchise's first-ever championship in 2018, contributing seven goals and 11 assists in 24 postseason games.He played several more years with Washington before being dealt to the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline. Entering free agency in the summer of 2023, he joined the Penguins with a two-year, $4.9 million contract.
This season, he's tallied four goals and three assists in 17 games and is on a current pace to rack up 34 points. He's scored a total of 182 goals and 227 assists in 1,053 regular season games and has added another 15 goals and 34 assists in 103 career postseason contests.
