Capitals reunite with forward Lars Eller 6 years after Stanley Cup triumph

The Washington Capitals traded a 2027 third-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Lars Eller, the team announced on Tuesday. 

Eller, 35, was part of the Washington squad that won the Stanley Cup in 2018. He has recorded four goals and three assists in 17 games with Pittsburgh this season.

“We are excited to welcome Lars back to our organization,” Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said in a statement. “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.”

The trade has caused some analysts to question whether center Hendrix Lapierre will remain with the Capitals, or if he’ll return to the Hershey Bears farm squad. 

“Obviously the Caps are in win-now mode and aren’t prioritizing developing guys in the NHL right now,” Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan wrote on X.

Eller spent seven seasons with the Capitals, scoring 87 goals and recording 121 assists during his initial stint in the District. The Capitals traded the Denmark native to the Colorado Avalanche in March 2023 in exchange for a second-round draft pick.

The Avalanche chose not to re-sign Eller, allowing him to ink a two-year, $4.9 million deal with the Penguins in July 2023. He is slated to become a free agent again next offseason. 

Eller etched himself into Capitals history during the 2018 Stanley Cup Final when he notched the game-winning goal to clinch the series in Game 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Thanks to a combination of returning veterans and fresh faces, the Capitals are enjoying an electric 10-4 start to the 2024-25 NHL season. 

Captain Alex Ovechkin, 39, has shown no signs of aging as he draws closer to Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record. He’s scored 10 goals in 14 games. Last season, it took him 45 games to reach the double-digit mark. 

Eller is the second member of the Stanley Cup squad to rejoin the team this fall. Left winger Jakob Vrana, who had spent the last three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and the St. Louis Blues after starting his career with the Capitals, earned a contract with Washington after an impressive tryout during training camp. 

With the return of Eller and Vrana, there are now five active players from the 2018 Stanley Cup squad on Washington’s roster. The returning players join Ovechkin, defenseman John Carlson and forward Tom Wilson. 

Fellow champions T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom are technically still on the roster, but long-term injuries have kept them away from the team.

Eller could make his season debut with Washington on Wednesday, as the Capitals host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Capital One Arena.