Lars Eller and the Montreal Canadiens were able to avoid arbitration by agreeing to a four-year contract extension. Although Montreal didn’t disclose the financial terms of the deal, the contract is worth $14 million, according to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie.
“We are very pleased to have agreed upon a long term agreement with Lars Eller ... He is the type of player you can rely on for his play at both ends of the rink. Lars can play big minutes against the opponents’ top players and still be an offensive threat,” Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin said, per the team’s website.
Eller had 12 goals and 26 points in 77 games last season, but Bergevin thinks the 25-year-old forward still has untapped upside. He gave Montreal a taste of that during the lockout shortened 2013 season when he recorded 30 points in 46 contests.
He’s coming off of a two-year, $2.65 million contract and was seeking a big raise through arbitration. He had reportedly requested a $3.1 million salary for the 2014-15 campaign while Montreal had countered with $1.65 million. In the end, it seems that big gap was overcome by shifting the focus to a longer term deal.