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Lars Eller

Senators Sign Lars Eller

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The Senators announced they’ve signed center Lars Eller to a one-year deal worth $1.25MM.

Eller will once again step away from the Washington Capitals with this decision. He previously spent seven years with the club from 2016 to 2023, and filled a major role on the team’s 2018 Stanley Cup win. The Capitals traded Eller to the Colorado Avalanche for a 2025 second-round pick ahead of the 2023 Trade Deadline, though he’d only go on to play in 24 games with the Avalanche before signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an unrestricted free agent. Eller spent the full 2023-24 season with the Penguins, racking up 15 goals and 31 points while operating out of the team’s third-line center role. He also managed a 52.3 percent faceoff win rate that year.

He continued to win draws and provide impact away from the puck to start Pittsburgh’s 2024-25 season, but a dwindle in scoring led Eller to a mid-season trade back to the Capitals organization. Just two years after acquiring a second-round pick in return for Eller, the Capitals re-acquired him for only a 2027 third-round pick and 2025 fifth-round pick.

But his return to Washington only resulted in six goals and 15 points across 63 appearances. His intangible additions were a boost, but at 35-years-old, it was apparent that Eller was beginning to lose his stride. Still, he’s averaged 27 points per 82 games and a 52 percent faceoff percentage over the last three seasons. He’ll be a hardy, albeit slow, option to fill one of Ottawa’s bottom-two center roles.

PHR’s Gabriel Foley contributed significantly to this article.

Metro Notes: Islanders, Capitals, Peca

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According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the New York Islanders are closing in on their next General Manager. Pagnotta did not provide specifics but mentioned that Mathieu Darche and Marc Bergevin remain in the conversation. Arthur Staple of The Athletic confirmed Pagnotta’s findings.

Neither name is surprising, as the Islanders reportedly gave both a second interview a few days ago. Still, as Staple notes, it could prove a hurdle if the Islanders hope to hire Brendan Shanahan. Yesterday, New York reportedly received permission to interview Shanahan. Although the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they will proceed without him, he may not appreciate that a General Manager was appointed before him.

Whoever is ultimately named the Islanders’ next General Manager will have an important task ahead of them in the coming weeks. Aside from the needed roster changes, the Islanders won the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery on May 5th, giving them this summer’s first overall pick.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

Metropolitan Notes: Shaw, Chatfield, Sandin, Eller

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Yesterday, Flyers general manager Daniel Brière confirmed an earlier report that associate coach and briefly interim head coach Brad Shaw won’t be back with the team next season. According to Jonathan Bailey of The Hockey News, Shaw wasn’t enthused about going through the interview process a second time to remain a part of new head coach Rick Tocchet’s staff after finishing as the runner-up to Tocchet in head coaching interviews over the past few weeks.

“He called me yesterday and said he didn’t feel like he could fully invest himself going through the [interview] process again to see if he was to be part of [Tocchet’s] staff moving forward,” Brière said.

Now with 21 years of experience as an assistant/associate and interim head coach on NHL benches, Shaw is likely going to emerge as a candidate for at least one of the league’s four remaining head coach vacancies in Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Seattle. He reportedly received interest from the Capitals and Ducks in 2023’s hiring cycle.

“We’re really appreciative of what Brad has done,” Brière said. “He’s helped a lot of our young guys on defense, especially, and he was considered.”

We have more from the Metropolitan Division:

  • When the Hurricanes won Game 5 of the second round against the Capitals to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, they did so without the services of defenseman Jalen Chatfield. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour is hopeful but uncertain regarding his status for the beginning of the third round, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer relays.
  • On the other side of the Carolina/Washington coin, Caps defenseman Rasmus Sandin is expected to join Sweden’s blue line at the World Championship, according to Hockeynews.se’s Henrik Sjoberg. Sweden’s roster is at the 22-skater maximum, so they’ll presumably be dropping a player (likely one of defenseman Gabriel Carlsson or forward Christoffer Ehn, neither of whom has played in the tournament yet) to make room for him. The Swedes are dominating the tournament on home ice, going undefeated through six group stage games and recording three consecutive shutouts against Latvia, Slovenia, and France. Sandin previously suited up for them at the 2023 Worlds.
  • Still in Washington, pending UFA center Lars Eller told Sammi Silber of The Hockey News he has every intention to keep playing next season (article link via DC Backcheck). “I’ll definitely keep playing. My body feels good,” Eller said. The 36-year-old Dane was limited to 22 points in 80 games split between the Penguins and Capitals this year, recording under 0.30 points per game for the second time in the last three years. Whether his future is in Washington, elsewhere in the NHL, or in Europe remains to be seen.

Capitals Notes: Ovechkin, Eller, Protas, Free Agents

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It was locker clean-out day for the Capitals today after they were eliminated by Carolina earlier this week.  At his end-of-season scrum (video link), winger Alex Ovechkin tried to brush aside any speculation about him not returning next season, indicating that he’s going to do his best to play.  Ovechkin, of course, broke the all-time goal record this year which has led some to wonder if he might prefer to leave the NHL and perhaps return to finish his career at home.  His comment about playing next season should tone that down.

However, with Ovechkin set to enter the final year of his contract in July, he’ll become eligible for a contract extension at that time.  He noted that he hasn’t given any thought yet as to whether this would be his last one in the NHL or if he might be open to extending his stay.  Considering that it’s quite unlikely that the 39-year-old would entertain NHL offers elsewhere next summer, this is a situation where it makes a lot of sense for both sides to wait and see how things are looking closer to this time a year from now before seriously assessing future plans.

More from Washington:

  • Pending unrestricted free agent Lars Eller said in his scrum (video link) that he wants to keep playing next season, especially with his native Denmark qualifying for the upcoming Olympics. The 36-year-old was acquired from Pittsburgh early in the season and played in 80 games overall but managed just 10 goals and 12 assists; his 22 points were his lowest since his rookie year back in 2010-11.  Eller might be best utilized as more of a fourth liner moving forward after playing on the third line for most of his career.  Accordingly, he’s likely looking at a cut from the $2.45MM price tag he had the last two years.
  • In his scrum earlier today (video link), center Aliaksei Protas indicated that he’ll have some testing done on his injured foot to see if any surgery will be required. The 24-year-old suffered the injury late in the regular season and missed the first four games of the Montreal series.  This was a breakout year for Protas as he had 30 goals and 36 assists in 76 regular season games while chipping in with a goal and an assist in six playoff outings.
  • Pending UFA wingers Anthony Beauvillier and Andrew Mangiapane haven’t had any extension talks yet with management, relays Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter link). Beauvillier had 25 points in 81 games during the regular season and notched six more in their ten playoff contests, turning into a solid trade deadline pickup overall.  Meanwhile, Mangiapane saw his output drop to 14 goals and 14 assists in 81 games after notching at least 40 points in the previous three seasons.

Capitals Activate Lars Eller, Reassign Hendrix Lapierre

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The Washington Capitals have reportedly made a roster move to create room for Lars Eller’s activation but not necessarily the one they were expected to make. The Capitals organization announced they have reassigned youngster Hendrix Lapierre to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, to make space for Eller on the active roster.

Lapierre came into the 2024-25 season off of a respectable effort in 2023-24. He scored eight goals and 22 points in 51 games for the Capitals and represented one of the better prospects in the system as the former 22nd overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft. He showed a lack of maturity in the faceoff dot (which isn’t uncommon for younger centers) but displayed adept playmaking and defensive abilities.

It’s hard to classify this season as anything but a step backward for Lapierre. He’s tallied eight assists in 27 games but has no goals to show for and has seen his ice time cut dramatically in the last few weeks. He isn’t shooting the puck nearly as much as he was last year and is in clear need of a reset.

Lapierre’s demotion means that fellow youngster Ivan Miroshnichenko’s spot on the roster is safe for now. The 20-year-old Russian is the only other forward on Washington’s roster who wouldn’t have needed waivers for an AHL reassignment and was originally believed to be the eventual casualty of Eller and Alex Ovechkin’s return. He hasn’t taken any meaningful step forward in limited action this year with one goal and four points in 15 games averaging 9:24 of ice time per game.

Eller missed four games battling an illness. He’s expected to reprise his role down the middle of the team’s third line for their game against the Detroit Red Wings later this afternoon. Since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in an early-season trade, Eller has scored two goals and six points in 13 games in his second go-around in Washington.

Capitals Reassign Henrik Rybinski

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Dec. 24: The Caps announced this morning that they’ve returned Rybinski to the AHL over the holiday break.

Dec. 21: Veteran center Lars Eller has officially been placed on injured reserve by the Washington Capitals as expected. The Capitals will use forward Henrik Rybinski in Eller’s stead with the organization announcing his recall from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.

It’s his first NHL recall during his short professional career. The Florida Panthers drafted Rybinski with the 136th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft but he signed with Washington after his draft rights expired in 2022.

Rybinski has had a slow start to his professional career offensively scoring 10 goals and 34 points in 103 games for the Bears from 2022 to 2024. The current season can already be classified as a breakout year for Rybinski as he’s scored six goals and 20 points in 28 games. He’s unlikely to break any scoring records but his production is still good for third in scoring on a second-place Hershey team.

The uptick in point production likely led to Rybinski’s recall by the Capitals. Still, he’s unlikely to debut in the NHL given Washington’s upcoming schedule. The organization matches up against the Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs over their next three games.

Should the Capitals still need Rybinski on the roster by next Sunday, it would make sense for him to debut against a fledgling Detroit Red Wings. Still, the recall is an acknowledgment by the Capitals of Rybinski’s development this season.

Capitals Place Lars Eller On IR

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Washington Capitals forward Lars Eller is expected to miss the team’s three remaining games before the holiday break with illness, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. Gulitti adds that Eller saw a doctor for the illness on Thursday, and has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to Washington’s last game on Tuesday.

Eller rejoined the Capitals via a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 12th. He’s since returned to the comfortable, middle-six role he previously filled for eight years in Washington. Eller scored 90 goals and 215 points in 512 games with the Capitals in his previous stint – from 2016 to 2023 – and served as a prominent depth figure in the team’s 2018 Stanley Cup win. Washington traded Eller to Colorado at the end of the 2022-23 season. He signed a two-year, $4.9MM deal in Pittsburgh after just 24 games, and seven points, with the Avalanche. The return to the Metropolitan Division helped out his scoring, with Eller posting 38 points in 99 games with the Penguins – but Washington’s lineup wasn’t the same without their core forward. Eller has scored six points in 16 games with the Capitals since returning this season, bringing him up to a total of 13 points in 33 games after starting this season in Pittsburgh. The 35-year-old is expected to hit free agency once again this summer, where he’ll face the choice of whether to try and extend his 1,000-game career into its 17th season.

Eller’s short-term absence could be mitigated by the return of Sonny Milano, who returned to the ice in a non-contact jersey before Washington’s Friday practice, shares Gulitti. Milano has been out of action with an upper-body injury since November 6th, after appearing in just three games and recording no scoring to start the year. He still faces a few steps before he can return to the lineup, though a quick ramp up could set him up for clear minutes in Eller’s vacancy. Milano scored 15 goals and 23 points in 49 games with Washington last season, 10 points fewer than he managed in 64 games of Washington’s 2022-23 campaign.

Metro Notes: Capitals, Couturier, Johnson, Letang

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Washington Capitals general manager Chris Patrick spoke openly about the team’s direction with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic after reacquiring veteran forward Lars Eller from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Patrick told LeBrun that he got the sense that Eller would be traded somewhere else before the Trade Deadline, or even the New Year, prompting the Capitals to act sooner rather than later. Despite the early buy, Patrick said he still sees the move as a Deadline deal. He told LeBrun, “We said, ‘Maybe at the deadline, we should be looking at center depth. We were looking at (pending) UFAs and players who might be available, and Lars is obviously top of that list.”

Eller may be a defense-first depth forward in his old age, but reacquiring him is a strong statement of confidence from the Capitals after a 10-4-1 start to the season. They find themselves tied with the New York Rangers – who swept Washington in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs – and Patrick emphasized that the on-ice product feels much improved. That’s in part a result of strong performances from Washington’s young talents – like Aliaksei Protas, Connor McMichael, and Rasmus Sandin. Those players give Washington a foundation to build on, and Patrick closed by pointing towards the retooling of teams like Dallas and Florida – who each managed to build lineups with strength top-to-bottom without sacrificing their future. That will be the long-term path that Washington tries to mimic, though they’ll first try to match the playoff success of the top-end teams they now find themselves among.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier is questionable for the team’s Saturday matchup against the Buffalo Sabres shares Kevin Kurz of The Athletic. Couturier missed Philadelphia’s Thursday game against Ottawa with a lower-body injury. He’s managed eight points in 16 games so far this season, while also filling a routine role on the team’s power-play. Morgan Frost will likely slot in for Couturier in the event of another absence, after playing 13:44 in the team’s Thursday win. He contributed one hit and five faceoff wins to the game.
  • Despite the lineup facing injury concerns, Saturday’s game will be celebratory for 2006 first-overall pick Erik Johnson, who sits one game shy of 1,000. He spoke openly about the achievement with Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer, sharing how “mind-blowing” it is to near 1,000 games after nearly retiring a few years ago. Johnson spoke about the list of injuries he endured between 2019 and 2021, capped off by a concussion in January of 2021. Johnson cites that injury as giving him the mental reset he needed to reprioritize his health. He’s now set to become the 12th player from the 2006 NHL Draft – and the 133rd defender – to pass the 1,000-game mark.
  • Star Pittsburgh Penguins defender Kris Letang is sick and didn’t travel with the team to their Friday game in Columbus, shares Josh Getzoff of Sportsnet Pittsburgh. Letang has one point in Pittsburgh’s last five games and six points in 18 games on the full season. He remains a clear top-pair defender despite the lagging scoring, averaging 23 minutes of ice time and remaining a focal point of the power-play. He could be replaced by rookie Owen Pickering, who Pittsburgh recalled earlier today. Pickering is the Penguins’ top defense prospect and hasn’t yet made his NHL debut.

Metro Notes: Johnson, Brindley, Eller, Ersson

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Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson is back practicing today for the first time since he injured his shoulder back on October 17th in a game against the Buffalo Sabres. Johnson has missed ten consecutive games due to the injury he suffered when colliding with a Blue Jackets teammate.

The former fifth-overall pick played in just four games before the injury but was very productive, posting two goals and three assists while averaging 16:46 of ice time per game. Johnson looked as though he was ready to break out two seasons ago when he recorded a 40-point season as a 20-year-old. However, last season, his play fell off dramatically, as he tallied just six goals and ten assists in 42 games.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated forward Gavin Brindley off injured reserve and loaned him to the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. Brindley broke his finger in a preseason game on October 1st and ended up missing the first 15 games of the regular season. The 20-year-old  made his NHL debut at the end of last season in April after he was drafted by the Blue Jackets in the second round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. An undersized forward, Brindley had a very successful run in the NCAA with the Michigan Wolverines, recording 37 goals and 54 assists in 81 career games from 2022-24.
  • New acquired Washington Capitals forward Lars Eller will make his return to the Capitals lineup tomorrow night after he was acquired via trade from the Penguins this week (as per Tarik El Bashir of the NHL Network). Eller practiced today with the Capitals and centered the third line where he was flanked by Andrew Mangiapane and Jakub Vrana. Eller was one of the few bright spots for the Penguins this season and dealt with very difficult deployment in Pittsburgh, starting over two-thirds of his shifts in the defensive zone. Despite the unfavorable zone starts, the 35-year-old still managed to put up four goals and three assists in 17 games.
  • Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson left practice early yesterday after suffering a small tweak (as per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia). The issue is apparently not something that will keep Ersson out long-term, but it will keep him out of the lineup this evening as Aleksei Kolosov will be the backup to starter Ivan Fedotov. The Flyers already have three goaltenders on their roster and won’t need to make a roster in order to replace Ersson.

Evening Notes: Stone, Eller, Milano

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Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone will remain out of the lineup tonight when Vegas takes on the Anaheim Ducks tonight (Twitter link). Alexander Holtz will take Stone’s spot on the top line as Stone is dealing with a lower-body injury and will miss his third straight game. The Golden Knights play again on Friday against Utah and will presumably update Stone’s status before then. The 32-year-old has been exceptional this season when healthy, posting six goals and 15 assists in 13 games.

Stone has long had issues with his health, having played 80 or more games only once in his 13-year NHL career. His health has been a major concern over the past three seasons as Stone has missed 110 games dating back to the 2021-22 season.

In other evening notes:

  • Newly acquired Washington Capitals forward Lars Eller didn’t participate in the team’s optional morning skate today and did not dress for their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening (as per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News). Eller was acquired yesterday by the Capitals in exchange for two draft picks and likely won’t suit up for his new team until Friday night when they take on one of Eller’s former teams, the Colorado Avalanche.
  • Injured Capitals forward Sonny Milano is still not skating and remains sidelined with an upper-body injury (as per Sammi Silber). Milano remains on the injured reserve and has no definite timeline to return to the lineup (as per Silber). Milano has played just 21:38 this season in three games and has been a scratch even when healthy. His spot in the NHL lineup was precarious at best, and now with the Eller trade, it’s possible that the 28-year-old could be the odd man out.

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