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Welcome To The Burgh: Lars Eller

ByBrian Ramos|
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 07: Lars Eller #20 of the Washington Capitals hoists the Stanley Cup after the team's 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five of the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 07: Lars Eller #20 of the Washington Capitals hoists the Stanley Cup after the team's 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five of the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Welcome To The Burgh: Lars Eller

On July 1, the Pittsburgh Penguins signed veteran forward Lars Eller to a 2 year, $4,900,000. This possesses a cap hit of $2,450,000 per CapFriendly. Throughout his career, he has 163 career goals and 208 assists for a total of 371 points. This past season, he played 84 total games for the Washington Capitals and the Colorado Avalanche. In those 84 games, he logged 10 goals, 13 assists, and a +/- of 3.

Penguins Killer

Throughout Eller’s career he has always been a depth guy mainly due to his defense and ability on the penalty kill. Also, he has never really been a dominant goal scorer as his career high in goals is 23 which he did twice with the Capitals in 2018-19 and the 2019-20 season.

In 49 career games against the Penguins, he has 12 goals, 12 assists, and a +/- rating of +5. For a depth player on the bottom six, those are some solid numbers. Those 24 points equate to almost a half a point per game player.

Now that he is on the Penguins, hopefully he can contribute and put up close to those numbers or even better. Eller has plenty of experience playing at PPG Paints Arena. In a matter of fact, one of Eller’s best games against the Penguins on the road on January 16, 2017 where Eller netted two goals and was a +3.

Eller’s Role With the Penguins

With the Penguins training camp not even started yet, as they begin September 21, Eller’s role is still unknown. However, he is listed by CBS Sports as the fourth-line center behind Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jeff Carter.

Eller most definitely can work his way up to the third-line center as Carter had one of the worst seasons of his career with just 29 points and a -16 +/-. Penguins fans are hoping Eller can step up and take away minutes from Carter.

Championship Pedigree and Hungry For More

With the Penguins missing the playoffs for the first time in 16 years, they are looking to get back into the playoffs and even compete for a Stanley Cup. With the additions of Erik Karlsson and Ryan Graves, while keeping the core three of Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang shows the effort to win.

The Penguins targeted veterans on the team with playoff and championship experience. One of those guys is Eller as he won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018.

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