The former Hab feels right at home with the Senators, and so far, he's exceeding expectations.
When an NHL team considers signing a 36-year-old free agent, no matter how good his career has been, the first question is always, "Yeah, but how much does he have left in the tank?"
In the case of veteran center Lars Eller, the answer is easy. The tank is nowhere near empty.
Eller signed a one-year, $1.25 million deal with the Senators over the summer and has been an excellent addition to the club so far. What's not to like about a well-liked former Stanley Cup winner who's played 1000 games, always seems to be on the right side of the puck, still skates well, and put up two goals and four assists in October, playing out of the fourth-line center role?
When the Senators found a way to defeat the Calgary Flames on Thursday night, 4-3 in a shootout, Eller led the charge with a goal, a shorthanded effort, and an assist.
Eller's six points have him tied for sixth place on the team among forwards, ahead of players who make substantially more money. But Eller, who's never cracked the 40-point mark, isn't here to drive offence. That said, his size, skating, and play without the puck make him an upgrade on last year's fourth-line centre, Adam Gaudette, who shocked everyone with a 19-goal season.
After the Flames game, Eller was the post-game guest for Claire Hanna's rinkside interview on TSN, and received a nice ovation from the fans at Canadian Tire Centre.
"I love it here so far," Eller told Hanna and the crowd. "Everybody has been great to me. It already feels like home. It feels like home."
Eller's first full time NHL home was Montreal, where the Senators play on Saturday night. The 2007 first-round pick of the St Louis Blues was seen as the key piece the Canadiens got back in the trade that sent 2010 playoff darling Jaroslav Halak to the Blues. He spent his first six NHL seasons with Montreal, where the Canadiens had some great battles with the Senators.
The first was in 2013, which was an angry first-round affair, won by the Senators in five games. It was a Game 1 hit by Sens defenseman Eric Gryba that sent Eller to the hospital, knocking him out of the playoffs, that set the tone for a furious series. Two years later, Eller and the Habs got revenge, ending Ottawa's famous Hamburglar run and eliminating the Sens in six.
A decade later, the Senators and Canadiens still don't like each other very much, but that rivalry was a distant memory for Eller, at least until now.
"That was quite a long time ago," Eller said. "I do remember a couple of playoff series against the Senators were hard-fought battles, but just not a lot of players left on either side from that time. So it just feels like it's just a part of the past that you moved on from."
Eller says he has fond memories of his time in Montreal, which he described as an inspiring place to play, whether you're toiling for the home team or the visitors.
"Yeah, it's an organization that, because of their history, probably always has high expectations. As a player, you certainly feel the energy and attention around the team playing for them. I loved coming to play at the Bell Centre both as a Canadien, but also as a visitor. It's an inspiring place to play with the history and the energy."
Now in his 17th NHL season, Eller's playing career will be history before he knows it, but for now, he looks as good as he ever did.
With Fabian Zetterlund getting a hold of his favourite number 20 jersey a few months before he got here, Eller opted to wear his birth year number. And for whatever reason, whether real or imagined, the number 89 almost adds a youthful vibe to the old man as he preps for a big game in the place he used to call home.
"Yeah, (the Canadiens) took a step forward last year, just like the Senators did. It's going to be a good battle on Saturday."
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