Senators general manager Steve Staios didn't do a lot on day one of free agency, but there was something familiar about his performance. For the second year in a row, Staios went out and acquired a free agent veteran role player, who's won a Stanley Cup.
Last year in free agency, the Senators picked up David Perron, Michael Amadio, and, later in the summer, Nick Cousins. All of them are north of 30 and owners of Stanley Cup rings.
Joining that demographic in the Senators locker room is center Lars Eller, who signed a one-year deal on Tuesday worth $1.2 million. Eller is coming off a 10-goal, 22-point season, split between Pittsburgh and Washington.
Eller will likely replace Adam Gaudette, who left the Senators today in free agency. Gaudette got a two-year contract worth $2 million a season with the San Jose Sharks, the biggest payday of his career.
Eller may not be capable of the 19 goals Gaudette had this season, though let's be honest, Gaudette may not be either. But Eller is bigger, a better defender and a better skater. He's got over 1,000 games in the league and he has a Cup winning goal to his credit.
And he can still produce as well, just one year removed from a 15-goal, 31-point season in 2023-24.
"Yeah, we're excited to bring into our group another veteran with experience that's won, a high-character individual that can move around the lineup," Staios said. "And we're looking to continue to build on our depth.
As an aside, Eller was part of two wild moments in games against the Ottawa Senators. The most notable occurred during the 2013 playoffs when he was with the Montreal Canadiens. Senators defenseman Eric Gryba caught him with a brutal hit at the Montreal blue line on a suicide pass from teammate Raphael Diaz, only known to Sens head coach Paul MacLean as Player 61.
Eller had no idea the hit was coming and suffered a broken nose and a concussion after landing face-first on the ice. It led to hard feelings on both sides in the series and a war of words between MacLean and Canadiens coach Michel Therrien.
The other moment was the weirdest of goals two years ago when Eller was playing for the Colorado Avalanche. Mads Søgaard covered the puck up on a dump-in, and for some bizarre reason, the officials refused to blow the whistle, even though Søgaard was surrounded by Avalanche players. When everyone stopped playing, Søgaard lifted his glove off the puck, assuming the play was dead, and Eller tucked the puck in for a goal that they actually let stand.
The Senators also added a depth forward on Tuesday, signing 25-year-old Olle Lycksell, who's been a fine American Hockey League scorer so far in his career, averaging a point a game for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He also got into 19 games for the Philadelphia Flyers, posting five points. He should be a tremendous asset for Belleville this year while providing some NHL depth if required because of injury.
When Staios was asked if he expects any further additions to his NHL roster this summer, he was candid in his answer.
"I guess we'll see… Most likely not. We feel comfortable with where we are," Staios said.
Staios pointed out that the changes for next season were a "slow roll" that started back at the deadline and included Dylan Cozens, Fabian Zetterlund, Jordan Spence, and now Eller.
Beyond that, Staios believes in the core of this team and that its greatest room for improvement will come from the growth of experience and being another year older.
"I'm mindful of this group and their growth and their development. And I think I can't emphasize that enough. They are taking hold of it."
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News/Ottawa
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