From Beauvillier to Wilson, we’re taking a look at and grading the 2024-25 season for every player who laced ‘em up for the Washington Capitals for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2025-24. Next up, Lars Eller.
The Bio:
#20 | Center | Shoots: Right
Height: 6’2” | Weight: 208 | Born: May 8, 1989
Birthplace: Rodovre, DEN | Acquired: Via trade from Pittsburgh on Nov. 12 for 2025 fifth-round pick and 2027 third-round pick
Cap Hit: $2,450,000 | Signed Through: 2024-25 | Expiry Status: Unrestricted Free Agent
The Scouting Report (via EP)
The Stats:
The Charts:
The Key Stat: In his last 37 games (including playoffs), Eller scored zero goals and had just four assists.
The Good: While his offense struggled, Eller still had his defensive game down, proving to be reliable in the defensive zone and to make the smart decisions with puck. He led the team in CA/60 and xGA/60 at even strength (min 100 mins), was third-best in SCA/60 and second-best in HDCA/60. In other words, when he was on the ice, the other team was less likely to get shot attempts, scoring chances, and high-danger shots against his goalie.
The Bad: Just about everything outside of Eller’s defensive game was bad. He was never a great offensive player but he took a real nose-dive this season, scoring all of 15 points in 63 games with the Caps and had a team-low 12 points at five on five (although it’s worth noting that he played nearly 20 fewer games as a Cap than most of the rest of his teammates). At this point in his career, Eller is probably more of a fourth-line defensive winger and not a middle-six center option – which unfortunately was what he was brought in to be. Eller was simply put into a position he was never going to succeed at, and it showed.
The Video:
The Discussion: What did you think of Stanley Cep legend Lars Eller’s return? Do you think his lack of offense was on him or the situation he was put in? Do you see him being a part of the Caps next season, and if not, who would you like to see replace him?
The Vote: Rate Lars Eller below on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential and your expectations for the season – so if he had the best year you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he more or less played as you expected he would, give him a 5 or a 6; if he had the worst year you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.
