Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Lars Eller is heading to the Colorado Avalanche.
Hearing Lars Eller to the Avalanche
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 1, 2023
Pierre Lebrun is confirming the deal. He is also reporting the Capitals will get a 2nd round pick in return.
Caps get a 2025 second round pick in return for Eller https://t.co/hHzfU6elMt
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 1, 2023
Frank Seravelli is reporting the return will be a second round pick in 2025.
Trade details, per source:
To #Avs: C Lars Eller
To #caps: 2025 2nd Round PickFirst report by @FriedgeHNIC.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 1, 2023
UPDATE: The Capitals made it official at 1:40 PM:
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have acquired a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Colorado Avalanche for forward Lars Eller, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today. The Capitals will retain 31 percent of Eller’s salary as part of the trade.
The Capitals own 22 total picks in the next three drafts. Washington currently has five picks in the 2023 NHL Draft, eight picks in the 2024 NHL Draft and nine picks in the 2025 NHL Draft. Washington owns their first, second, fourth, fifth and seventh-round picks in 2023; their first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh-round picks in 2024, as well as Boston’s third-round pick and Minnesota’s third-round pick in 2024; and their first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh-round picks in 2025, as well as Colorado’s second-round pick and Boston’s second-round pick in 2025.
Eller, 33, has recorded 16 points (7g, 9a) in 60 games with the Capitals this season. Eller, who won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018, has registered 364 points (160g, 204a) in 930 career games with Washington, Montreal and St. Louis.
Thanks for everything Lars!
The Tiger has left the building.
A second round pick is incredible. Well done, Mac,
No doubt! Was a gun involved? Jk. Good work, Mac Daddy.
😂
Not to brag, but I’ve been calling the 2nd round pick for Tiger, for a few weeks now.
OK, I am bragging!
Thought it would be a 3rd or 4th.
Well, it’s a 2nd round pick two years from now, so… let’s see… factoring in the quality of this year’s draft pool, including the latest inflation estimates, carrying the one… Yeah, that’s about the equivalent of a 3rd or 4th this year…
A little too early just yet, to judge the quality of the 2025 class. Most of the kids of ’25 haven’t seen their 16th birthdays yet. There’ll be a lot of movement in the rankings for the next 27 months. Could be some real gems there. Some recent 2nd rounders have been Hintz and Robertson of Dallas (2/3rds of what some consider the best line in hockey), Jonas Siegenthaler (voted best defensive D) and our own Fehervary
And yes, I got the humor
Yup, it’s a bit of a challenge projecting 16-yr-olds… but that doesn’t keep a lot of bloggers from trying!
If you read any of those bloggers’ posts on this year’s draft, you see that they all think this draft pool is the best and deepest in many years. This is a good year to “be suck”.
Indeed, this is supposed to be a good one. Forward heavy, not too many D in the 1st round. A lot of smallish, skilled forwards, but a few big ones, as well. Most of the D are small, offensively skilled, a couple of taller ones. One or two goalies in the Top 40
I’ve read up on it a bit 😁
Go get another Cup, Lars!
Thanks you, Lars Eller. The drinks are on us, FOREVER!
Yes Thanks Lars as I feel without you there would have been NO Cup in ’18!! Now go west young man and get your 2nd Cup.
Finally and the return is very average. Lars to the Aves for a 2nd in 2025 and the Caps retain 31% of his salary. Better than the 3rd I thought we would receive for him but not expecting the retention of salary this year and the pick to be 3 drafts away. Not bad and would think that they plug in Smith at the 3rd line C. Best thing is we have space now to play Protas!! And we didn’t have to take back an older player or a bad contract!! Now get on the phones and find Smith a new home!!!!
The cap hit is $1.1M but the actual cost to the Caps is ~$250K, not too much of a dent in Ted’s accounts, and if they replace him with a kid for the rest of the year, he actually saves money.
Thank for everything Lars, get yourself another cup.
I really like how GMBM has handled this trade deadline. He’s doing what’s best for the team whilst retaining enough of our core so it doesn’t feel like they’ve suddenly lost their entire identity. He got a nice young defence man, picks, and he was able to put the vets he traded onto really good teams where they can play great hockey, hopefully long into spring. This season might end up being a blessing in disguise.
A 2nd for Tiger? Just as I predicted!
This is basically house money. The Caps had 6 NHL centers, and 2 more in Hershey, so getting a 2nd for a player that wasn’t in their plans is free money. So that makes 3 2nd rounders in 2025. I doubt BMac keeps all of them, but that’s a long time from now. The question now is does BMac use draft capital to obtain younger, established ayers with term, or will he pick up some UFAs over the summer?
I need proof! 😁
How can I furnish it? Is there a way I can look up old posts?
But I did write such a thing this morning, in the rumor roundup post. The headline was something like “Eller and Sheary to be traded”
So a running tally, if you’re scoring at home:
Out: Orlov, Hathaway, Gustafsson, Johansson, Eller
In: Sandin, Craig Smith, two 2025 2nd rounders, 2024 3rd rounder
Still on the table (UFAs) : Sheary, NAK, TVR, Smith
Methinx Mr. McLellan ain’t done yet
Are the Caps listening on Lindgren too? He’s had a phenomenal season, but he could be a great flip.
As far as I’ve read, in various trade rumor columns on TSN, Sportsnet and Pro Hockey Rumors, the Caps are only listening to offers for impending UFAs. The players the Caps have traded up till now are all UFAs this summer. Lindgren still has two more years on his contract, beyond this one. I doubt they trade him before Friday. Over the summer…..? Probably not. It doesn’t really make any sense to trade an affordable and reliable backup, if you’re still trying to stay competitive. And there’s no one else in the system who is a proven NHL backup.
The impending UFAs left on the team are TVR, Sheary, NAK and Craig Smith. Also Irwin and McIlrath, but I doubt they’d get a return.
Anon, I would rather trade Kuemper and keep Lindgren and bring up both Fucale and Shepard and let the goalie position for the rest of the year be a 3 headed monster with each getting 1/3 of the games let to play. The trade does 2 things: 1) relieves some of the salary cap problems and 2) lets both of the goalies in Hershey play at the NHL level as both are UFA after this season and we need to see if one or both should be resigned; also if both show that they are ready then that gives the Caps a lot of interest in resigning both and letting them compete for the backup role next year in Wash. The Caps cant let Shepard get away and at 27 both goalies might just be ready to play.
Kuemper isn’t getting traded. He is one of the most dominant goalies in the league, regardless of the team in front of him.
I like Lindgren, but there are a lot of options that will be available over the summer: Quick, Varlamov, Andersen, Nedeljkovic, Korpisalo, Jarry, etc.
Are any of those names gonna be an upgrade over Lindgren, and/or come in at a cheaper price? My guess is all the goalies you named will ask for more than Lindgren is making, except maybe Quick, who conceivably will just retire.
When everyone is healthy, we’ll lose the LTIR cushion, and we don’t need a backup goalie making $3M/yr. Like I said earlier, Charlie is cheap and reliable. No reason to trade him
Great job GM and yeah, I was wrong as I thought a 3rd was max we’d get. Now I have to buy my daughter a new jersey.
Thanks for the game 5 winning goal, Tiger! I liked Eller, he was a versatile, Swiss army knife, type of guy.
Danish Army knife.
indeed! Danish Army knife. 😉
Here’s to the Great Dane, best of luck, Lars!
Fun fact: It took 16 wins to get the Cup. 3 of the GWGs came off of Lars’ stick.
No playoffs for the next couple of years…what’s next, the coach??
We can only hope… And not just for the head coach… the whole staff needs to go.
Personally I would like to see the HC gone now and let McCarthy and Forsythe go at the same time. Promote Allen now as after the season PL is gone so get a head start on a new system with some new and old players and the ability to bring up some players from Hershey to try at different spots and roles. Definitely need to get in an assistant who can make changes to and improve the PP.
I’m ok with not making the playoffs especially if making them will be like the last 4 years one and done. Not making the playoffs for a few years while getting higher draft picks will produce a young strong team that will be a legitimate Cup contender not just make the playoffs and then go home after another first round loss and play golf or party all summer.
I propose a slight amendment for your last sentence:
“… play golf, rehab yet another major, age-related injury, or party all summer.”
What can you say but great Capital, always worked hard and was an honest interview in the locker room win or lose. Thank you Lars Eller for a great career here in Washington.
The departure of Eller really makes the Cup victory seem like ages ago. He literally won us the Stanley Cup in Gm 5
It’s sure does. Coming up on 5 years.