When the Ottawa Senators signed Lars Eller this summer, GM Steve Staios knew he’d landed another well-regarded, steady NHL veteran for his collection. Eller has long been respected around the league as a reliable, detail-oriented forward capable of playing in the bottom-six forward group, bringing veteran poise and Stanley Cup-winning experience.
But when training camp opened earlier this month, Eller wasn’t available, still recovering from off-season abdominal surgery. The absence was frustrating for a player who was, no doubt, anxious to show his new team that there are plenty of miles left on that 36-year-old body of his.
Now, on day eight of camp on Thursday, Eller was finally skating with his new teammates at 100 percent and participated fully in all drills for the first time as a Senator.
“It felt great,” Eller said after his first full session with the team. “I’ve been missing getting some contact and getting up to speed, so I’ve been slowly ramping up to this point today, and it was good to be out there with the guys and actually participating 100 percent. It’s never fun watching on the sidelines, so a good step forward today, and I feel good about where I’m at at this stage.”
Eller is generally seen as the Sens’ probable replacement for Adam Gaudette, who mainly played at fourth-line center last season and posted a career-high 19 goals. After Gaudette signed with the San Jose Sharks over the summer, Eller isn’t likely to come in now and replicate that number of goals, but in fairness, if Gaudette had stayed, he probably wouldn’t have either. Meanwhile, Eller is bigger and faster and will probably produce just as many points.
Oh, yes. And Eller also brings the tasty intangible of another Cup ring into the room.
Now that he’s feeling better, the next challenge for Eller is not just getting his fitness up, but also mastering Ottawa’s systems and tactics, and the finer details of how the team wants to play.
“Yeah, the last couple of days we’ve been going over some video, watching, but the best thing is going out there and learning the systems by doing it and maybe making some adjustments along the way,” Eller said. “So now we’re getting up to that point where I can participate in the drills and learn by doing. They’ve been good at communicating with me and taking the time I need to get up to speed with things. I’m sure we’re going to be doing more of that the next week or so.”
As for when Sens fans might see him in a game, Eller says there’s no firm date circled.
“I think this step right now is you want to be fully participating in practice, which was the first day today, and you probably need a little more of that before you play in a game.
“We haven’t put a timetable on that, but it’s probably not too far away.”
While the timing remains uncertain, what is clear is Eller’s impression of his new teammates — and his role in helping them take the next step.
“Young and hungry, determined, they’re passionate and they’re willing to learn and put in the work so there’s a good energy in the room, I would say,” Eller said. “I just look forward to being a part of that, helping where I can, and trying to get the best out of our young players, make the next step, and I try to set the bar for all of those things as a veteran player. I pull everybody in the same direction.”
For the Senators, having Eller healthy and fully up to speed will be a welcome addition. The guy is a proven commodity who knows how to win and how to lead. Those are nice assets for a team with bigger goals now than just making the playoffs.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
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