The Washington Capitals have traded forward Lars Eller to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick, according to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
The 33-year-old is currently in the final year of a deal worth $3.5 million per season. Drafted 13th overall by the St. Louis Blues in 2007, Eller was a highly rated prospect and made an immediate impact in the AHL once he came over.
But after just seven games with the Blues in 2009-10, Eller was shipped to Montreal in the deal that sent Jaroslav Halak to St. Louis. Eller was a consistent 25-30-point scorer during his six years with the club, with his best production coming in 2012-13 when he had 30 points in just 46 games.
Eller moved over to Washington in 2016-17 and played his best hockey during the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Danish center finished with 18 points in 24 games, helping to round out the team’s high-flying offense. He has spent the rest of his career to date in the United States capital, scoring a career-high 39 points in 2019-20.
Eller has struggled this season with just 16 points in 60 games. Still, his experience will come in and handy, and he’s the type of player that won’t typically hurt you in your own zone. Eller gives the the Avalanche an extra depth piece for the playoffs, with the team’s bottom-six being a huge contributor to winning the Stanley Cup last year.
The Avalanche currently sit third in the Central Division with 73 points, just two behind the Dallas Stars for first. Washington has struggled of late and sits seventh in the wild card race, with the team opting to start selling ahead of Friday’s deadline.
