The Washington Capitals made a surprising trade on Tuesday, bringing back center Lars Eller to the team after several seasons apart.
Eller, the scorer of the Capitals’ Stanley Cup-winning goal, brings stability, a wealth of experience, and a two-way game to the District. He’s expected to replace Hendrix Lapierre in the lineup to try and stabilize the Capitals’ third line, which has struggled to find its niche early in the season.
The Danish centerman leaves a struggling Penguins team that started the season 6-9-3 and sits seventh out of eight teams in the Metropolitan Division.
“For me, I think [my time in Pittsburgh] worked pretty well,” Eller said. “I think I’m happy with how I performed. I think I had a good time there. It’s tough for me to dissect what went wrong last season, [why we] didn’t get off to a good start this year. We just could never really string a consistent good game together over weeks or over months and, long story short, it’s kind of been the same to start this year. We had a couple good games, we had a couple bad games and we had a bad trip out west. It’s tough for me to say exactly what. It just didn’t work out for the team.”
According to reporting, Eller has been available on the market since the 2023-24 trade deadline.
Here’s the timeline of how Eller ended up back in DC.
Timeline: Lars Eller trade
The spring: Eller was put on the trade market by Kyle Dubas per Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports.
Monday, November 11: After a Penguins’ 7-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, Haase reports via a league source that “everyone is available, except 87” on Pittsburgh’s roster.
Tuesday, November 12 in the early evening: Lars Eller finds out he’s been traded to the Washington Capitals. “It was at dinner time [Tuesday night], I got a call from our GM (Kyle Dubas), and I was quite surprised,” Eller said to Monumental Sports Network’s Al Koken. “You know these things are always a possibility, but it’s not something I expected at this point.”
Tuesday, November 12 at 6:30 pm: The Washington Capitals announce they’ve traded for Eller. The Caps sent a third and fifth-round pick to the Penguins in exchange. “We are excited to welcome Lars back to our organization,” Capitals GM Chris Patrick said in a release. “This move enhances our depth at the critical center position. Lars is a versatile player, that we are confident will strengthen our team’s depth and competitiveness.”
Capitals acquire Lars Eller from Penguins in trade for two draft picks
Tuesday, November 12 at 7:35 pm: Mike Sgarbossa is returned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, freeing up a roster spot for Eller on the Capitals roster. Young star Hendrix Lapierre, who is waivers exempt, remains in Washington.
Tuesday, November 12 late: Dubas sends an email to several Penguins outlets saying that Eller did not ask to be dealt and was only traded to the Capitals because GM Chris Patrick “met our asking price.”
Wednesday, November 13 in the morning: The Capitals hold their morning skate ahead of their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Spencer Carbery says Eller will not arrive in time to play and Lapierre will suit up in the third-line center spot. Past members of the Capitals’ Stanley Cup champion team react to the trade. “It’s like seeing a friend that you haven’t seen in a few years,” Tom Wilson said. “You go through a lot together as a teammate, as a team. You win a championship and that’s a bond you’ll always have. So when someone like that comes back to what feels like where they belong, it’s always exciting.”
Wednesday, November 13 in the morning: Eller packs up his car and begins driving from Pittsburgh to Washington.
Wednesday, November 13 in the afternoon: Eller arrives at his Washington DC area home and unpacks.
Wednesday, November 13 at 8:20 pm: During the first intermission of the Capitals-Leafs game, Eller does an interview with Monumental Sports Network, calling the transition back to DC “easy”, and then speaks with Capitals media. “When I found out that I was going back to Washington, I couldn’t be happier going back here,” Eller said. “I know how great a place it is to play and the team looks like they really have something good going this year. I’m just really excited, thrilled to be a part of it and have an opportunity to contribute.”
Of being traded so early in the year by the Penguins, Eller said: “Like I’ve seen so many times before, when you’re on an expiring contract your last year and the team is losing more than they’re winning, chances are you’re going to be moved, so I’m not surprised if that was going to be the case later on in the season — that we’re not in a good spot. But I was a little surprised maybe it would be this early. It is what it is.”
Thursday, November 14 at 11:00 am: Eller takes the ice for the first time as a member of the Capitals again.
Thursday, November 14 at noon: Spencer Carbery addresses Lapierre’s dwindling role on the current iteration of the team. “If Lappy comes out of the lineup, he’s a young player that has a bright future in this league and sometimes it takes a little bit longer to develop and grow into an effective NHL player,” Carbery said. “Lappy can play in this league all day long. He’s shown it. He’s had success in this league. It’s just as a young player becoming consistent with that and working at that. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time for that to come to fruition.”
Thursday, November 14 in the afternoon: The Capitals fly to Denver ahead of their game against the Colorado Avalanche.
Westbound#ALLCAPS | @united pic.twitter.com/b20dPghigq
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 14, 2024
Friday, November 15 at 9:00 pm: Eller is expected to make his season debut for the Capitals against the Avs.
