The Pittsburgh Penguins Trade Former Capital Back to Washington

Eller Traded to Washington

Lars Eller returns to Washington in this trade with Pittsburgh. Eller last played in Washington from 2016 to 2022, collecting 208 points in 488 games with the club. With this trade, the 35-year-old, two-way centre bolsters the Capitals offensive depth. With four goals and seven points in 17 games, Eller will likely slot into the bottom six for Washington. His defensive game will mesh well with a heavy Capitals team. Eller is also on an expiring contract with an average annual value of $2.45 million. This makes his contract an easy one for the Capitals to acquire in regards to the salary cap. With Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome leading the charge, Washington makes themselves stronger with this trade.

Pittsburgh Begins Selling

Monday’s 7-1 loss to Dallas was the culmination of a lacklustre first quarter of the season for the Penguins. GM Dubas started his tenure with the expectation of competing in the last few years of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang‘s careers. However, injuries, inconsistent goaltending, and bloated contracts have gotten in the way of these goals. Pittsburgh sits 24th in the league, with a shot at the playoffs being unrealistic at best. Following a report earlier in the day that Dubas made anyone but Sidney Crosby available for trade, the dominos have begun falling.

With numerous young prospects in the AHL, Dubas will likely begin a youth movement in Pittsburgh. Kevin Hayes‘ injury has already brought former first-round pick Samuel Poulin into the NHL fold. With this move, players like Ville Koivunen or Vasily Ponomarev have a window of opportunity on a weak Penguins group. The Penguins aims were to compete for the playoffs, although it seems the time has come for the Penguins’ big three to give up on hopes of competing together. Trading Lars Eller is likely just the first domino of numerous trades to come. Kevin Hayes, Cody Glass, and Matt Grzelcyk are players on expiring contracts that could fit well on a contender. Additionally, Marcus Pettersson could be moved in a trade similar to Jake Guentzel‘s last season as a big-ticket trade candidate. The rebuild seems to be starting in Pittsburgh, and Eller is the first domino to fall.