Dallas Stars: Cody Eakin May Be Odd Center Out This Offseason

With the offseason coming up, the Dallas Stars have decisions to make. One of the bigger decisions has to do with Cody Eakin and what his future with the franchise looks like.

The Dallas Stars made headlines on the first night of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by picking a young center with an amazing story in Radek Faksa in the first round with the 13th overall pick.

But that wasn’t the only reason that the Stars made the news on June 22, 2012. Their other noteworthy move of the night came via trade when they sent veteran center Mike Ribeiro to the Washington Capitals. Ribeiro had been one of the Stars’ best players, racking up 407 points in 461 career games in Dallas over a six-season span.

The move was yet another signal that Dallas was trying to rebuild and get back into contention. They had just stretched their playoff drought to a fourth straight season and desperately needed a spark.

In exchange for Ribeiro, the Dallas Stars received 21-year-old center Cody Eakin, who they were hoping would be an immediate asset for them down the middle in a severely depleted center core.

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And after the first year, it was clear that Eakin was. He put up 24 points in 48 games during the 2013 lockout season and became one of the Stars’ most effective and dynamic forwards, filling multiple voids for Dallas.

As the seasons passed on, Eakin became one of the Dallas Stars’ most trusted forwards and was used at even strength as well as on the power play and penalty kill. He was practically an overnight sensation who gained extreme value due to his time and opportunity in Dallas.

And now there is significant talk that he will likely not be a Dallas Star next year.

This talk definitely arose abruptly, but it does have reason behind it. After dealing with a knee injury that benched him for the first six weeks of the 2016-17 season, Eakin never truly returned to his usual form. When it was all said and done on April 8, Eakin had played 60 games and notched a mere three goals along with a total of 12 points. He also finished with a -7 rating.

The season was an ugly one for Eakin. Not only was it his least productive season as a Star, but it was also filled with plenty of disappointment. He did not find the back of the net until January 17, which was shortly after serving a suspension for illegally checking Henrik Lundqvist in the head behind the NYR net on December 15.

He finished the year 14th in points on the Stars’ roster. Curtis McKenzie and Patrick Sharp played less games than Eakin yet tallied more points than him. Jiri Hudler, who had an abysmal first season in Dallas, tallied 11 points in 32 games.

Overall, Eakin’s season was a disaster and it couldn’t have come at a more terrible time.

With the Expansion Draft coming in June and the Stars needing a few more pieces to truly transform their roster into a contender, Eakin could be used as a utility in one of a variety of areas.

First off, the Stars could trade him. Though he’s coming off the heels of a horrid season, he’s still a valuable center at age 25. He’s proven in the past that he can play the no. 2 center role and can even fill in at the top role if paired with the right wingers. He’s dominant in the face-off dot, can play both sides of special teams, and can run an offensive attack.

Dallas Stars

He’d be a valuable trade piece that the Stars could potentially use to acquire a new goaltender or defender that would help beef up the weak points of their roster.

The other option that has been talked about is leaving Eakin exposed in the expansion draft in June. Jason Spezza, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Brett Ritchie, Radek Faksa, and Valeri Nichushkin likely being protected, the Stars have one more protection spot to fill. Cody Eakin, Antoine Roussel, and Curtis McKenzie are all potential candidates to earn that spot.

After this past season, it seems as though Eakin would be dead last in that group. Russell and McKenzie each have significant talents that make them unique and valuable to Dallas as well. Stars management talked earlier in the season about their desire to keep Eakin and develop him further, but things seem to have changed over the past few months.

Losing Eakin would also free up $3.85 million in cap space, which would give them more cushion to take on a big contract for a top-name player.

But why would the Stars trade Eakin if he’s such a dynamic center?

There’s a pretty simple answer to that: his spot has been filled. Over the past year, the Dallas Stars saw the beautiful debut of Devin Shore. After an impressive rookie season, the Stars now have five NHL-ready centers on their team (Seguin, Spezza, Faksa, Shore, Eakin).

If the Stars trade or expose Eakin and lose him during the offseason, it wouldn’t be a major loss on their part. In other words, they have themselves covered nicely.

Next: Stars' Chances Of Going After Cory Schneider

Cody Eakin has served the Dallas Stars organization nicely over the past five seasons, but it may be time for a fresh start for both sides. Is Dallas poised to lose him in the coming months? Only time will tell.

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