Eller Excited for 'Special Opportunity' in Joining Avalanche

Lars Eller was stepping on the bus to morning skate with the Washington Capitals ahead of their game at Anaheim on Wednesday when he was pulled aside with the news that he had been traded to the Colorado Avalanche.

The subsequent hours were a whirlwind, to say the least, as the 33-year-old centerman/winger, packed up and made his way to Denver literally just in time to join his new team on the ice for warmups ahead of Wednesday's eventual 7-5 loss to the New Jersey Devils at Ball Arena.
"I knew there was a bunch of teams interested, I was hoping it was going to be here," Eller said postgame as he met with the Colorado media for the first time. "I'm glad that was the case."
Eller joins the Avalanche boasting quite the impressive resume. The versatile forward spent the past seven seasons (2016-23) with the Capitals, where he hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2018 and became the first-ever Danish-born player to do so. Prior to that, Eller played in Montreal from 2010-16 and was previously the highest-drafted player from Denmark after being selected 13th overall by St. Louis at the 2007 NHL Draft until Arizona selected Mikkel Bødker eighth overall in the 2008 NHL Draft.

Eller, who noted he envisions anchoring the third-line center position for the Avalanche and has the ability, "To play in all situations both like PK, power play and can play anywhere in different positions," bolsters Colorado's forward depth especially with the current absences of forwards Gabriel Landeskog and Darren Helm, who are sidelined due to respective injuries.
Throughout 931-career regular season games, Eller has produced 364 points (160G, 204A) and throughout 96-career postseason games the left shot has amassed 49 points (15G, 34A). Similar to last year's Trade Deadline acquisition of Artturi Lehkonen, Eller has a knack for the big moments as he buried the Stanley-Cup clinching goal for the Capitals in the 4-3 Game 5 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.
And while Eller had quite the experience in Washington and created memories for a lifetime, he was overjoyed to hear that he had been dealt to the reigning Stanley Cup Champions who have mighty aspirations of valiantly defending their title come April.
"It's very mixed emotions," Eller said. "I've been [in Washington] for almost seven years. I've been on some playoff runs every single year. I won together with a bunch of those guys. Leaving so many big memories with the ups and downs, it's weird, it's emotional. At the same time, I'm also excited to be here and do something special hopefully here. It's mixed emotions. It's odd, but I'm glad to be where I am."
After landing at Denver International Airport via a direct flight from Anaheim, Eller made it to Ball Arena just in time to join the Avalanche for the final few minutes of warmup before taking on New Jersey. Upon arrival, he was greeted by Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar, who walked with him from the player's entrance into the dressing room.
"Don't think too much," Bednar recalled of what he told Eller. "Go play. Trust your instincts.
"He's a good veteran player. We need what he provides," Bednar added. "It's almost that simple. I asked him, 'Hey listen, (are) you feeling good, do you want to play? If you're not, it's not going to affect my opinion of you.' And he felt good and wanted to play. He was excited to be here. He's excited to be part of the team."
For Eller, who was enthused about the opportunity, he didn't want to waste any time and wanted to join his teammates in the mix. Despite playing nearly 1000 games in the NHL, Eller noted he had never played with a single player on the team's current roster. He had previously played with former Avalanche members - and current Seattle Kraken players - winger Andre Burakovsky and goaltender Philipp Grubauer on the Capitals' Stanley Cup winning roster, but those would have been the only two familiar faces he would have had.
"It's new faces all around for me," Eller said with a grin postgame.
During his Avalanche debut against New Jersey, Eller totaled 14:28 minutes - including one shift on the penalty kill - and skated between Matt Nieto and Evan Rodrigues. He also took shifts between Logan O'Connor and Andrew Cogliano.
"I was trying to move my legs and move the puck as quick as I could," Eller said. "I wouldn't say it was my best game. I think we had a shift or two where we connected a little bit, but I think I have a lot more to give."

While his first game didn't end in a favorable result, it was still an exhilarating matchup as the Avalanche battled from a 3-0 deficit to make it a 6-5 game come the opening minutes of the third period. The sold-out atmosphere at Ball Arena was electric as fans were cheering on the Avalanche, who had previously won six-straight contests as they have begun to play some of their best hockey of the year and have benefitted from inching their way back to a healthy lineup.
"I was just excited, I was trying to take it all in and look around," Eller said. "It's always been a tough building to come in and play as an opposition team. I'm happy to be on this side of the ice with these guys here and go to battle with them."
Following the whirlwind experience leaving in the midst of a California road trip to go join in his new team, Eller noted his priority for Thursday - a scheduled off day for the Avalanche - will be to head to the team store to pick up some new apparel for his wife and two kids as he officially begins this next chapter of his already impressive career.
"It's such a great opportunity," Eller said. "It's a special opportunity to be on a team that is looking at being on a playoff spot and to have the history here that they had last year. I certainly can't take it for granted. I feel privileged to be here."