Photo: Amanda Bowen
We had one draft pick, Auston Matthews, and then the trades came in. The one you care about goes like this:
The Washington Capitals have acquired Center Lars Eller from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for second round picks in 2017 and 2018.
Eller is a 27-year-old center from Denmark with six seasons and change under his belt.
His assignments in Montreal have been decidedly depth — averaging just over 15 minutes per night — third line time. So here’s that third line attention Maclellan promised.
He’s got a mild scoring touch, putting up more than 25 points in each of the last five seasons. While he’s not exactly fleet of foot, Eller’s had a positive possession swing in Montreal, where had some brutal linemates.
Joshua Cooper captured Maclellan chatting with Montreal GM Marc Bergevin before the trade.
And a little nugget from Starkey:
Eller was traded to Montreal for Capitals legend Jaroslav Halak.
— Ted Starkey (@TedStarkey) June 24, 2016
What this move means for the rest of the summer is unknown. This will certainly have an impact on the role Marcus Johansson, but we don’t know what that impact is just yet. Stand by.
Press release from the Caps:
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have acquired center Lars Eller from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Washington’s second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft and second-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
Eller, 27, registered 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in 79 games with the Montreal Canadiens last season. The 6’2”, 207-pound center finished the 2015-16 season ranked sixth on Canadiens in goals and tied for eighth in points. He scored two goals on Oct. 10 at Boston and played in his 400th NHL game on December 26 at Washington. Eller recorded career highs in points (30) and assists (22) in 2012-13 and scored a career-high 16 goals in 2011-12. He has earned 156 points (73 goals, 83 assists) in 442 career NHL games with St. Louis and Montreal. In addition, he has tallied 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 37 career NHL playoff games. Eller was drafted by St. Louis in the first round, 13th overall, in the 2007 NHL Draft. The Rodovre, Denmark, native has represented Denmark at three World Championships (2008, 2010, 2012) and the 2008 World Junior Championship.
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