Pittsburgh Penguins trade veteran forward to hated division rival

The deal was announced just moments ago by the team as well as NHL insiders including the famous Chris Johnston. The full details of the trade are the following: the Penguins receive a 2025 5th-round draft pick and a 2027 3rd-round pick. The Capitals receive Lars Eller and nothing else. At this time it appears as though there is no salary retention on the deal as well. Eller currently has a 2.45 million dollar cap hit and is an unrestricted free agent this summer.

This will not be Eller's first stint with the Capitals. As Chris Johnston points out, he scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal back in 2018, so there will be many Caps fans who are happy to see him return for nostalgia's sake if nothing else.

That being said, Eller is still a useful depth forward in the league. He has 4 goals and 7 points through 17 games with the mediocre-at-best Penguins. Granted, Eller may have a harder time getting ice time on a deeper Capitals squad, but he probably won't be complaining too much as he has just gone from a team destined for the draft lottery to a team with legitimate playoff hopes this season. That is a big upgrade for any player. Be sure to stay tuned as this very well could be the start of a fire sale in Pittsburgh. We know Sidney Crosby won't be going anywhere, but just about everyone else could be up for grabs according to the latest reports.