Penguins send Eller back to Capitals for draft picks

Lars Eller is heading back to D.C.

The Pittsburgh Penguins traded the veteran center to the division-rival Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick, the teams announced Tuesday.

Eller spent seven years with the Capitals from 2016 to 2023, hoisting the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018. The Dane was an integral member of that championship roster, potting a career-high 18 goals during the regular season before adding 18 points in 24 postseason contests as the team's third-line center.

The 35-year-old has four goals and three assists in 17 games this season while averaging 16:25 per contest and winning 56% of his faceoffs. He's in the final year of his contract with a $2.45-million cap hit.

Eller projects to fill the third-line center role in Washington behind Dylan Strome and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Eller remains a strong defensive player who can lead a shutdown line.

The Penguins now have 10 picks each in the 2025 and 2027 drafts. They have nine in 2026.

TSN's Darren Dreger reported earlier Tuesday that the Penguins don't intend on having a "fire sale." However, selling off pending unrestricted free agents before the deadline is common practice for teams near the bottom of the standings like Pittsburgh. Anthony Beauvillier, Drew O'Connor, Marcus Pettersson, and Matt Grzelcyk highlight the team's other potential rental trade chips.