In 1st year with Penguins, Lars Eller earned paycheck, making notable impact

Which first-year player brought in by Kyle Dubas made the biggest impact this season for the Pittsburgh Penguins? There’s a debate to be had.

With his solid presence down the stretch after the Penguins tapped him as starter for the final three weeks of the year, goalie Alex Nedeljkovic has a strong case.

Winger Reilly Smith and blueliner Ryan Graves, both of whom underperformed and suffered midseason demotions down the Penguins’ lineup, do not.

Defenseman Erik Karlsson, dazzling at times, was a semi-regular liability on the defensive side of things throughout the course of the year.

The crown for most impactful player in his first (full) year with the Penguins may very well deserve to go to forward Lars Eller.

“Lars Eller, I think everything we signed and asked for, he brought,” Dubas said. “ … Played every game. Not the sexiest role you’d want in hockey – defensive zone starts, penalty kill, giving shelter to (Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin) above – (but he) did so consistently and reliably. Also chipped in about the offense that you’d want from the role, probably a little bit more, and was good – really good.”

Eller did just about everything for the Penguins this year.

The 34-year-old averaged 15 minutes, 58 seconds of ice time per game, factoring in as the Penguins’ third-line center for the vast majority of the season.

One of six players to start all 82 games for the club, Eller saw extended action on the penalty kill (2:11 per game) and power play (1:28).

In the first installment of a two-year deal that pays him $2.45 million annually, Eller scored 15 goals and added 16 assists.

“I’m happy,” Eller said of his individual performance. “I think I did what I was brought in and what was expected of me. I think I met those expectations in terms of that third-line center role, playing on the (penalty kill) and eventually, being part of the power play, too – playing in key situations. I think I helped the team where I could help the team. I would like to continue to do that next year, as well.”

A longtime adversary of the Penguins from his many years (2016-23) with the Washington Capitals, Eller was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in the latter half of the 2022-23 campaign.

After completing the rest of the year with the Avalanche (and playing in 84 regular-season games due to a scheduling quirk as a result of his trade) Eller was brought aboard by Dubas on the opening day of free agency last summer.

While certainly not infallible, Eller lived up to his reputation this season, offering a steady, reliably defensive on-ice presence while contributing respectably in the offensive zone.

A year-long challenge for Eller was handling the revolving door of linemates that coach Mike Sullivan inserted onto the Penguins’ third line.

But Eller embraced the fluctuation, going out of his way to offer guidance to those skating next to him, in particular younger, developing players like Drew O’Connor and Valtteri Puustinen.

“Lars has played so long – really smart guy,” Puustinen said. “ … Lars is (a) really good center both (on) defense and offense. He helped me so much.”

Some changes are undoubtedly coming to the Penguins looking ahead to this upcoming season.

While Eller, who turns 35 in May, is slated to return for the final year of his contract, Dubas will be looking to add additional bottom-six scoring depth to the Penguins.

In that regard, Penguins management should feel good about Eller remaining a key member of the group.

As he deals with the disappointment of the Penguins having missed the playoffs, Eller is already excited to help the club get back on track in 2024-25.

“I’m happy to be a Pittsburgh Penguin,” Eller said. “It’s such a privilege to be in this room with these players, so it hurts not to be able to play right now. It’s going to hurt probably most of the summer until there’s no more hockey being played and you can look forward to next year.

“But I’m really happy to be here. I’m happy to be a Penguin and I really look forward to another crack at it next year. I think we can accomplish more with this group.”