Yahoo Sports Silber: Capitals' Re-Acquisition Of Lars Eller Answers One Of Team's Only Major Question Marks
ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals made a nostalgic move on Tuesday, re-acquiring center Lars Eller from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and 2025 fifth-round pick.
For the Capitals, the move brings back a fan and locker room favorite who scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in 2018, but it also solves one of the team's only issues this season, bringing in a proven full-time third-line center.
The role of the third-line center has been somewhat of a question mark since the season opener, with Hendrix Lapierre struggling to recapture the play that launched him onto the NHL scene last season.
Call-up Mike Sgarbossa has put in the work and filled the void nicely, but the team has been missing consistent offense and a full-time NHL presence there, and he could also be used full-time down with the AHL's Hershey Bears. Sgarbossa was re-assigned to Hershey to create space for Eller.
Through 17 games this season, Eller has four goals and three assists, along with a face-off percentage of 56. Despite playing on a struggling Penguins team, he takes good care of the puck and can log reliable minutes.
Bringing Eller back gives Washington a strong center for Jakub Vrana and Andrew Mangiapane to work with, and also gives Lapierre more time to get his game back and develop. Eller can also play a role on the Capitals' thriving penalty kill.
It also just adds to the room, as Eller is a well-liked presence and leader who spent seven years and played a key role for D.C. Now, "Tiger" gets to run it back and do it all over again in the same job.
Overall, it's a solid depth move for a team that's making big strides.
