At 1st day of camp, Penguins' Lars Eller takes stock of new teammates, surroundings

The vast majority of Lars Eller’s NHL career has allowed him to build up a familiarity with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

A longtime member of the Canadiens (2010-16) and Capitals (2016-23), Eller saw quite a bit of the Penguins over the years, especially during his time in Washington.

Eller joined the Capitals ahead of the 2016-17 season, giving him a front-row seat to two of the three consecutive times the rivals clashed in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs from 2016-18.

But despite all of the on-ice time playing against the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, Eller wasn’t overly familiar with the man at the helm: Penguins coach Mike Sullivan.

In July, when Eller inked a two-year, $2.45-million deal with the Penguins, that was destined to change.

With the Penguins kicking off training camp Thursday, Eller was one of 58 players to take the ice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, allowing him to forge a first impression of his new coach.

“Very direct, clear message — not a lot of small talk, just straight to the point,” Eller said of Sullivan. “But still approachable. And you can ask questions and have a dialogue with him. If anything, I think he actually likes that. He’s pretty much what I expected him to be.”

At 34 years old, Eller has been around the block in the NHL. This year marks his 16th in the league.

He most recently was a member of the Colorado Avalanche, with whom he concluded the 2022-23 campaign after being dealt from Washington last March.

Eller produced 10 goals and 13 assists with the Capitals and Avalanche last season.

In Washington, Eller crafted an identity as a defensively responsible third-line center with respectable goal-scoring abilities.

Eller scored a career-high 18 goals in 2017-18, helping Washington raise the Stanley Cup.

His days with the Capitals saw him playing behind Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov.

In Pittsburgh, he is expected to assume a similar role, centering the third line following Crosby and Malkin and chipping in regularly on the penalty kill, something he has done throughout his career.

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Eller saw 1 minutes, 39 seconds of short-handed time on average last year and was a mainstay on the penalty kill with the Capitals and Canadiens.

“I take pride in being able to fill different roles in my career,” Eller said. “The base is third-line centerman, but I can play in all kinds of every special team situations and up and down the lineup wherever I’m needed. Wherever I can serve the biggest purpose on this team, that’s what I’ll do. … But the (penalty kill) — you’ll see a lot of me there.”

Eller is just one piece assembled by Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas in bolstering the club’s third and fourth lines.

But of the Penguins’ offseason additions to their bottom six, which includes Matt Nieto and Noel Acciari, Eller is arguably the remodel’s linchpin.

On Thursday in Cranberry, the Penguins split into three teams that took the ice separately.

Eller centered a line featuring Drew O’Connor to his left and Rickard Rakell at right wing.

By the time the regular season rolls around, Eller being flanked by O’Connor, the promising youngster, and Rakell, fresh off a 28-goal campaign, might not be something to bet on seeing.

“I wouldn’t read too much into the line combinations at this point,” Sullivan said. “We’re trying to give guys an opportunity to do what they do best, set them up for success and also give our veteran guys what they need to prepare themselves for games.”

Plenty of practices remain before Eller’s linemates are solidified heading into the season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 10.

But for the time being, as training camp ramps up, Eller has enjoyed getting a feel for his new environment and teammates.

“I think we’ve got all the assets, all the qualities at forward, defense and in net to make it happen,” Eller said. “We’ve got to come together, everybody’s got to find their place in the chemistry within the team. But I’m excited when I look around and see the names and the personnel. That leaves me very inspired and encouraged.”