Lars Eller was a name being tossed around quite a bit leading up to today. The big concern for Canadiens fans was that he might get dealt, and that the return would likely be insufficient. Any concerns have now been put to bed, as it has been confirmed that he should not be dealt today.
#CH L.Eller s’est fait rassurer: il ne sera pas échangé aujourd’hui. Mon texte: https://t.co/YksNLQyXpd
— Richard Labbé (@Richardlabbe) February 29, 2016
It would have been rather easy to find a team willing to make a deal for the defensive stalwart pivot. That said, concerns over a potentially insufficient return were not unfounded. Eller doesn’t pile up points, but what he does defensively is very hard to replace, so one would have to worry about him being undervalued.
Conservatively, you could say that this is a vote of confidence for Eller, and a sign from the team that they do in fact view him as part of their long-term plans.
