Lars Eller‘s brief time in Ottawa is officially over. On the first day of 2026 free agency, the veteran centre signed a one-year, $850,000 deal with the Florida Panthers. Eller also has the potential for $250,000 in performance bonuses, mostly based on games played.
Eller will be reunited with Brady Tkachuk, his teammate in Ottawa this season, though the two parted ways with the team in very different ways. Eller honoured his contract and left in free agency. With two years left on his deal, Tkachuk requested a trade after the season, and 10 days ago, the Senators accommodated him.
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With 6 points in his first 12 games, Eller got off to a fine start with the Senators. But he ran into some nagging injuries and had only had nine points over the next 56 games.
Eller finished the season with 15 points, 50 hits, 33 blocked shots and 67 shots on net. He played in all four playoff games for the Senators but averaged less than 9 minutes of ice time per game. His highlight this year was probably the opportunity to play at the Olympics in Milan with Team Denmark.
At 37, he’s either going to continue being a fourth-liner in Florida or a part-time player.
Tkachuk won’t be the only familiar face from Ottawa. The Danish veteran played briefly in Ottawa with Donovan Sebrango before the Panthers claimed the young defenceman off waivers from the Senators back in October.
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As it happens, Sebrango also signed up for another tour of duty with Florida on Wednesday. The Panthers didn’t give Sebrango a qualifying offer, which made him a UFA. But after Florida made Sebrango an NHL semi-regular for the first time in his career, there was still interest in returning.
Sebrango played 40 games with Florida this season (0 goals, 8 assists), so according to THN’s David Dwork, they signed him to a one-year deal.
Florida also signed former Senator Boko Imama on Wednesday, and on Tuesday, they acquired forward Angus Crookshank in the Jacob Markstrom deal.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article was first published on The Hockey News Ottawa Senators site. For full coverage of the Senators, check out one of the latest headlines below:
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