With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2023-24 season coming to an end without any postseason action, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 51 individuals signed to an NHL contract – including those whose deals do not begin until next season — with the organization, from fourth-line center Noel Acciari to reserve winger Radim Zohorna.

This series is scheduled to be published every weekday leading into the second day of the NHL Draft on June 29.

(Note: All contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.)

Lars Eller

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Age: 34

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 205 pounds

2023-24 NHL statistics: 82 games, 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists), 15:57 of ice time per game

Contract: In the first year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $2.45 million. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2025.

Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, July 1, 2023

This season: The third-line center role has been vital to the Penguins’ triumphs going back nearly 20 years.

Be it Jordan Staal, Brandon Sutter, Nick Bonino or Jeff Carter (at times), the Penguins have had some very dependable options in that station.

And some less-than-suitable options such as Riley Sheahan, Derrick Brassard, Mark Jankowski and Carter (at times).

Lars Eller definitely belongs in the former and not the latter paragraph.

A steady nemesis of the Penguins from his days with the rival Washington Capitals, Eller was the jewel of the team’s efforts in fortifying its bottom-six corps during the 2023 offseason.

And in retrospect, he might have been the Penguins’ best addition going into the 2023-24.

Opening the season with Drew O’Connor and Jansen Harkins on his wings, Eller saw a steady shifting of linemates throughout the season ranging from Valtteri Puustinen, Rickard Rakell, Reilly Smith as well as Radim Zohorna and others.

The only thing that really broke that up was the sporadic occasions Eller was promoted to the top line as a left winger in hopes of sparking a dormant offense.

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To be clear, Eller’s offense looked as if it was in hibernation to open the season as he produced only eight points (three goals, five assists) in his first 31 games.

But by late December, when he started to become a steadier contributor once he started skating between Smith and Puustinen at times. His final 51 contest saw him post 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists).

Special teams were a major plot line in Eller’s season as he saw significant time on both units. Most prominently, he logged an ample 2:11 of short-handed ice time per contest.

And by mid-February, Eller found a role on the top power-play unit in the absence of Jake Guentzel, who was sidelined due to an undisclosed injury (before being traded away in early March).

Working either in the slot or to the side of the cage, Eller offered a little stability to the malfunctioning power play.

Despite an undisclosed ailment that prevented him from participating in a handful of practice sessions late in the regular season, Eller managed to complete the season as one of six members of the team who played in all 82 games.

The future: The Penguins are likely to overhaul their bottom-six forwards once again this upcoming offseason given the underwhelming results of the group overall in 2023-24.

But Eller wasn’t truly part of that problem. He carried his share of the freight andthat group can be remodeled around him. Fastidious to the details of the game, Eller plays a fundamentally sound game all over the rink, particularly from a defensive perspective.

At his age – he turns 35 on Wednesday – it’s fair to wonder if Eller can sustain his level of play – or stay healthy for a full season – given some of the rough-and-tumble attributes his role commands. But if Eller offers a similar level of play in 2024-25 as he did in 2023-24, all concerned parties should be satisfied.

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Of all of the Penguins’ notable additions during the 2023 offseason – be it a superstar defenseman such as Erik Karlsson or a bottom-six forward like Noel Acciari – it could be argued no one performed their task as expected as well as Eller.

Dependable and reliable, Eller did his job in his first season with the Penguins.

Follow the Penguins all season long.

Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.