Eller traded to Capitals by Penguins for 2 draft picks

Lars Eller was traded to the Washington Capitals by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday for a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

The 35-year-old forward has seven points (four goals, three assists) in 17 games this season. He has one season remaining on a two-year, $4.9 million contract ($2.45 million average annual value) he signed with Pittsburgh on July 1, 2023.

A first-round pick (No. 13) by the St. Louis Blues in the 2007 NHL Draft, Eller previously played seven seasons for the Capitals from 2016-23, getting 208 points (87 goals, 121 assists) in 488 regular-season games. He also had 31 points (nine goals, 22 assists) in 59 Stanley Cup Playoff games during that time, including 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 24 games in 2018, when he helped Washington win the Cup for the first time in its history.

“I was quite honestly surprised,” Eller said Wednesday. “If anybody had told me when the season started, within two months I was going to be playing for the Caps, I probably wouldn't believe you. But things change quickly. You know, I've been traded a few times, and I don't think you never quite get used to it. It's an odd feeling, leaving teammates and a place where I really enjoyed, really loved playing. That's hard, it's difficult but I could not, at the same time, imagine a better place coming than here.

"Now that I have to move, it's the best possible scenario. I think just super excited to join a team that looks like they’ve got something really good going for them. And you know, I never really wanted to leave in the first place. I always loved playing here and [it’s] a great opportunity I have in front of me."

In his NHL career, Eller has 409 points (182 goals, 227 assists) in 1,053 games over 16 seasons with the Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Capitals, Colorado Avalanche and Penguins. He also has 49 points (15 goals, 34 assists) in 103 playoff games.

“They’re kind of getting the band back together,” Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. “Obviously, a close friend and teammate, [we’ve] been through a lot together here and it’s always exciting when you can kind of reconnect down the line in hockey. He’s obviously a bit of a legend here, and it’s going to be fun to have him back in the mix.

“I think when you go through so much as a teammate with somebody and then you see him in another uniform, it’s always strange. It just doesn’t look right. So, I think he’ll look better in a Caps uniform. It will be fun to have him back. … It’s like seeing a friend you haven’t seen in a few years. 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.”

Eller knows the team has changed since he was traded to the Avalanche on March 1, 2023, and said he likes the mix of old and new players.

"I think it's a bit of both,” he said. “It's still some of the guys that were successful during I think the best days of the Caps if you look back, but there's some new, young energy, too, and quality. And I think to have a successful team, you need the right mix of both, and right now, so far they're on the path and I just hope to be able to contribute to that."

Eller did not play Wednesday when the Capitals lost 4-3 in overtime to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Washington (10-4-1) is in third place in the Metropolitan Division.

Pittsburgh (6-9-3), which lost 3-2 in overtime to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, is seventh.

"It's just going to provide opportunities for other guys to step up and play a more significant role, so we'll try to put guys in positions where we think we can set them up for success,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “We'll go from there. We have some center depth where we can move guys in, and we'll do that along the way.

“Inevitably, as I always tell you guys, performance will ultimately be the dictator. So, it's going to provide opportunities for others for sure."

NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti and independent correspondent Wes Crosby contributed to this report