Dallas Stars Label Cody Eakin As Prime Piece Of Future

The Dallas Stars proved that the offseason truly isn’t over until the first day of training camp, no matter how firmly one may believe. On Friday afternoon, the Stars organization officially announced the extension of forward Cody Eakin’s contract.

Eakin, 24, came to the Dallas Stars in June of 2012, just months before the lockout season began in January of 2013. Eakin started in the opening game and ended up playing the complete 48-game slate. He moved down to the Texas Stars of the AHL after the Stars season ended with no playoff implications. But since the trade, Eakin has yet to lose his spot in the NHL. This is largely due to the fact that whether you may know it or not, he is one of the biggest pieces of the Stars offensive attack.

Eakin’s stats continue to impress with each passing season. In 2012-2013, he put up 7 goals and 24 points, which translates to a point every other game. That is an excellent reputation to have as a second-year NHL player mainly stuck to the bottom two offensive lines averaging 15:05 of ice time. As the 2013-2014 season rolled on, Eakin continued his improvement on the offensive side. He ended up with 16 goals and 35 points through 81 games. While this looks like a bit of a drop-off, the fact of the matter is that with the total game number increasing, it’s a bit more difficult to consistently put up points. Not only that, but Eakin’s ability to be flexible made it more difficult for him to continually adjust whenever he would be put on a new line.

In this most recent season, Cody Eakin turned it around and became one of the Dallas Stars most dangerous offensive skaters. In 78 games, he posted a career high 19 goals and 40 points. This was his first year to be higher than a “point every other game” average. Last season, Eakin was usually slotted more on the first and third lines. With this extension, that will probably remain the case.

Cody Eakin is also one of the more reliable members of the Dallas Stars. He’s only missed a total of five games over three seasons with Dallas, and one of them was due to a healthy scratch after an issue with head coach Lindy Ruff that never truly surfaced. At the age of 24, there isn’t much worry towards his health yet. That makes him a prime piece of the Stars team.

Not only is he a reliable scorer, but Eakin also knows how to get dirty when necessary. Even though he only clocks in at 6-0, 190 pounds, he knows how to stand up for himself and others. He can play resilient defense and use his brute physicality to force turnovers. Eakin is a multidimensional player and adds to the Dallas Stars scheme in multiple ways.

That is the main reason the Stars are locking him down. For a player who ended up missing training camp last season due to his RFA status and ongoing contract negotiations with Dallas, he’s found a way to turn it around. The money is well earned on his part, and now Eakin just needs to continue what he is currently doing. GM Joe Nieuwendyk can be criticized for his five year playoff drought as much as you want, but in the end, he made a few stellar decisions. One of these being trading away a reliable, veteran center for a young, red-headed Cody Eakin.

While most NHL fans will think of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin as the young futures of the Dallas Stars, Cody Eakin is right up there, clawing to make a name for himself. Security is step one in that process.

Next: Stars News: Eakin Here To Stay, Guryanov Shining At 4 Nations

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