Lars Eller traded to Avalanche

Finally, a more significant move from the Western Conference.

In what has been a wild trade deadline for those teams in the Eastern Conference loading up for a Stanley Cup run, everyone has been wondering what move the current Cup champion Colorado Avalanche would make. They seem to have struck a deal.

It was just announced Wednesday morning right after the conclusion of morning skate Lars Eller would be moving to the Mile High City from the nation’s capital and the Washington Capitals as first reported by Elliotte Friedman. Going the other way in the deal is a 2025 second-round pick in the NHL Draft.

Eller comes to Denver as a depth pick-up for Jared Bednar and Chris MacFarland who are looking for more forward depth with both Gabriel Landeskog and Darren Helm possibly done for at least the regular season. The 33-year-old has seven goals and nine assists in 60 games with the Caps.

While his stat line and JFresh card may not look ideal, it could be a solid pickup for the remainder of the season. With a $3.5M cap hit and 31 percent salary retention by the Caps on an expiring deal, it isn’t a bad move financially either. Eller has also been on the front end with playoff experience with the Caps, scoring two of their biggest goals in franchise history including the Stanley Cup-winning goal against the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018.

Eller will fill in the bottom six and likely play in a 4C role alongside Matt Nieto and Denis Malgin instead of Ben Meyers. It could signal the end for Darren Helm, as well as keeping J.T. Compher up in the 2C spot where has produced all season long. Eller likely won’t play in Wednesday night’s affair against the New Jersey Devils but could feature in one of the biggest games of the year away to the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

What do we think of the deal Avs faithful? Let us know in the comments below!