The Washington Capitals made their first trade of the season Tuesday evening, acquiring old friend Lars Eller from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Eller’s arrival will help shore up a third line that has been in flux to start the year, especially down the middle.
However, the 35-year-old Dane will not arrive in DC in time to suit up against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Wednesday night. Instead, Hendrix Lapierre, who has held down the center spot on the line most often this season, will dress for the Capitals once again.
“Hendrix is going to play there tonight,” head coach Spencer Carbery said. “It’s a good opportunity for him to get back in the lineup, play well, and show what he’s capable of doing. But, [Eller] gives us options there moving forward.”
Lapierre did not play in Washington’s last game, an 8-1 drubbing of the St. Louis Blues. Mike Sgarbossa centered the third line and had a multi-point night (1g, 1a). The Capitals returned Sgarbossa to the AHL’s Hershey Bears to free up a roster spot for Eller on Tuesday.
Carbery has sat Lapierre out as a healthy scratch for three of the Capitals’ first 14 games of the season. With Eller’s arrival, those scratches look like they’ll become even more frequent for the 22-year-old pivot. Carbery was asked what the message would be for Lapierre moving forward.
“At the end of the day, for Lappy, he’s focused on his development to become a great NHL player. So, whether that’s him getting a little less playing time, changing the role – it doesn’t change my plan or our plan for him. Quite frankly, once he comes to grips with another centerman being in the organization, maybe there’s an injury, and it doesn’t affect his playing time, but it shouldn’t change his focus and what he’s trying to do on a daily basis.
“Whether he’s playing 18 minutes a night in his third year or it takes a little bit longer, everybody’s development plan is different, and everybody’s development curve is different. For us, we’re just trying to help Lappy become the absolute best NHL player he can possibly be, and we know he’s a big part of our future and our organization moving forward.”
The Capitals tried Lapierre out on the wing some last season, but Carbery did not seem eager to repeat the experiment, though he didn’t rule out the possibility altogether. Washington found success with that approach in Connor McMichael, a natural centerman turned excellent winger.
“We’ve talked about it,” Carbery said. “I’m not a huge fan of Lappy on the wing from what we’ve watched in the past, but that doesn’t mean he can’t move into that spot and potentially have more of a solidified role there. We would look at that for sure.”
With 23 healthy players now on the roster, the Capitals will have to send down or trade a player when Sonny Milano, currently out with an upper-body injury, comes off of injured reserve, though Carbery did not have an update on Milano’s return timeline. Lapierre is the only player on the roster who would not require waivers to be sent to the Hershey Bears.
Lapierre’s inclusion in the lineup appears to be the only change for the Capitals, Wednesday. Logan Thompson will stay in net, becoming the first Washington goaltender to start two straight games this season.
Toronto flew into DC after taking a 3-0 shutout loss to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night. The Maple Leafs will be looking for an immediate response to the bad loss, and Carbery says his team needs to be ready from the first drop of the puck.
“I keep watching these back-to-backs, and these teams seem to be having a lot of success in situations where everybody’s written them off,” Carbery said. “Hopefully, we’ve learned from experience. Toronto is going to come out with a ton of energy and enthusiasm.”
