The pain finally has subsided for Lars Eller.
The Ottawa Senators centre was signed as an unrestricted free agent on July 1 to provide a veteran presence, but the 36-year-old hasn’t skated with his new teammates yet after having surgery for a sports hernia in late July by a specialist in New York.
Eller first started dealing with the issue last November with the Washington Capitals. After trying different types of rehabilitation and a long rest at the end of the season, the decision was made with Ottawa’s medical staff to get the issue dealt with once and for all.
“I played through it,” Eller said. “We tried all kinds of different treatments, rehabilitation and, after the season, I took a long rest. Getting back in the gym and getting back on the ice, it was just something that wasn’t getting better, and we have to do something about it.
“And we decided to do that, and as of right now, it feels like this first time I haven’t been in pain skating since November last year. It feels like it was the right thing to do. I’m looking forward to being kind of like 100% healthy.”
A veteran of 1,116 National Hockey League games in his career and a Stanley Cup champion with the Caps, Eller isn’t sure if he’ll suit up with the Senators in the pre-season or if he’ll make his debut when the puck is dropped for real, but it’s safe to say he’s feeling good.
Being injured isn’t an ideal start to his one-year, $1.25 million US contract with the Senators, but he has been through this before and there is no scenario Eller hasn’t seen in his career.
“Would I have liked to be 100% healthy from the very beginning, yes,” he said. “Over the course of the season, I’m 100% certain that I’m going to be a better version of myself, having done this instead of playing with pain and maybe not being able to be 100% at all times.
“So it’s certainly the right decision, and I’m very comfortable being a couple of weeks behind, and eventually I’ll catch up and it’ll be better over the course of the season.”
Does Eller expect to play in the pre-season and will he be ready for Opening Night against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 9?
“We have some targets, but we haven’t really decided,” said Eller, who skated with a group mostly made up of Belleville players. “The next step will be joining full practices and, from there, playing in games. Is that going to be a week from now? Is it going to be 10 days? I don’t really know.”
Eller signed with the Senators because he likes where this group is headed this season. He has spent most of his career in the Eastern Conference and his faced this group several times over the years.
“I played against them for many years,” Eller said. “When I first played against the Senators, back when I was with the Canadiens, this was a very different team. Now they’ve been through a lot of change.
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“Looking back last year, they’re difficult to play against and very committed for 60 minutes. We played three times against them (last year), and all three games went to overtime. It was a 60-minute battle. That’s the kind of game you have to have to have success in the playoffs. There are no gaps in their game.”
Eller is here to provide experience, along with Claude Giroux, David Perron and Nick Jensen when he returns from his hip surgery. There will be bumps along the way and the Senators are heaped with expectations that they’ll not only make the playoffs, but also take a step further.
“I’m sure there’s going to be some adversity during the season and tough times,” Eller said. “But they have a lot of pieces: Talent, we have veteran presence, we have skill, and we have all the things that we need to make it a really good team.
“There’s more room for growth to take the next step, so I’m looking forward to being a part of that journey.”
Once Eller is ready, the Senators will welcome his presence with open arms.