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Cody Eakin

Flames Sign Cody Eakin To Tryout Deal

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PTO season is in full force with training camps roughly a week and a half away and we’ve already seen several veterans ink tryout agreements.  The latest to get in on the fun is Calgary as the Flames announced (Twitter link) that they have inked center Cody Eakin to a tryout deal.

The 31-year-old spent the last two seasons in Buffalo while playing in their bottom six.  Last season, Eakin recorded four goals and eight assists in 69 games with the Sabres while averaging 13:35 per game.  He took a regular turn on the penalty kill and that’s likely the role that Calgary would be wanting him to play if he’s able to crack their roster.  Eakin also won 56% of his faceoffs last season which was a single-season career-high.

Eakin has 701 career NHL games under his belt across five different organizations with 110 goals and 146 assists to show for it.  While he isn’t the 40-point player he was with Vegas in 2018-19, he can still contribute on a fourth line and there’s a pretty good fit with the Flames; on the surface, it would appear as if there’s a decent chance that he could land a contract from this.  He’d be signing for the minimum of $750K or close to it and CapFriendly pegs Calgary as having a little over $2.1MM in cap room so they wouldn’t have to move anyone out to sign him.

It’s worth noting that the Flames are one of the teams that still have a restricted free agent to re-sign in middleman Adam Ruzicka.  Eakin’s addition to their camp roster will put him in direct competition with the spot that Ruzicka would be battling for.  This is the type of addition that might serve as a motivator for Rucizka’s camp to put pen to paper on an agreement to ensure that he won’t be playing catch-up when the preseason gets underway later this month.

CapFriendly was the first to report that Eakin was signing a PTO with the Flames.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NHL Modifies Major Penalty Review For 2022-23

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There appears to be only one change to the NHL Rulebook for 2022-23, but it’s one that addresses some significant controversies from the past few seasons. According to a report from Scouting The Refs, referees will now be able to nullify a major penalty after a video review.

The updated rule, listed as Rule 20.6, is as follows:

The Referee shall have the following options after video review of his own call: (i) confirming his original Major Penalty call; (ii) reducing his original Major Penalty call to a lesser penalty; or (iii) rescinding the original Major Penalty altogether.

Prior to this change, a referee only had the option to reduce a major penalty to a two-minute penalty of the same infraction. It’s important to note that this change does not apply to match penalties.

This modification draws on a rule originally instituted for the 2019-20 season, which allowed referees to perform a video review of any major penalty as called on the ice. While obviously never stated as such, the rule was introduced in response to the controversial major penalty called against Vegas Golden Knights forward Cody Eakin for cross-checking then San Jose Sharks forward Joe Pavelski. The call, which occurred in the third period of Game 7 in a 2019 First Round series between the two rivals, directly changed the outcome of the game. The Sharks, who were down 3-0, scored four unanswered goals on the five-minute power-play. San Jose proceeded to win the game in overtime, 5-4.

It was widely viewed after the call that the incident was accidental and not deserving of a major penalty. The fallout even led to the league apologizing to the Golden Knights organization privately after the fact.

Free Agent Profile: Cody Eakin

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In order for the inaugural Vegas Golden Knights team to have the historic season that they did, they required a full team effort with contributions up and down their lineup. Offensive performances from William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, David Perron, and Reilly Smith, backed by future Hall-of-Famer Marc-Andre Fleury in net, highlighted the team’s success, but secondary performances were able to vault a solid team into one that came just a few wins shy of a Stanley Cup title in just it’s first try. One of those performances was from veteran forward Cody Eakin, who Vegas selected from the Dallas Stars in the 2017 Expansion Draft.

Originally a third-round pick of the Washington Capitals in 2009, Eakin established himself as a complete player and dangerous scorer, breaking out the year after he was drafted with a 47-goal campaign for the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL in 2009-10. After another strong WHL season in 2010-11, Eakin made his NHL debut in his first full professional campaign in 2011-12, putting up 27 points in 43 games for the Hershey Bears of the AHL and another eight points in 30 NHL games for the Capitals. Following that season, he was dealt to the Dallas Stars, where he spent the majority of his career to-date. Eakin would play parts of four seasons in Dallas, having one of the best seasons of his career when he recorded 40 points in 78 games in 2014-15. Ahead of the 2016-17 season, he signed a four-year, $15.4MM deal to stay with the Stars, but wound up with Vegas for most of the final three years.

With Vegas, Eakin became a crucial depth piece for the organization as it chased an ultimately elusive Stanley Cup. Perhaps the best season of his career thus far came in 2018-19, setting career-highs in goals, with 22, and points, with 41, in 78 games. In the final year of his deal, Vegas dealt Eakin to his hometown Winnipeg Jets before he hit free agency in the 2020 offseason. The veteran would sign a two-year, $4.5MM contract with the Buffalo Sabres, but his production dropped off sharply, recording a mere 19 points in 115 games over the two seasons, a far cry from the 22 goals and 41 points he was just two seasons removed from when he signed in Buffalo.

Now a free agent more than a month after the market opened, the versatile forward appears to be paying for his struggles in upstate New York. As effective as Eakin is in his own end, on the penalty kill, and in the faceoff circle, it’s hard for almost any team to justify giving Eakin the roster spot and time-on-ice necessary to be effective with such little offensive production. The ability to score is there for Eakin, however he hasn’t produced 30 points since that career-best 2018-19 and that regression came with him still in his prime.

Stats:

2021-22: 69 GP, 4-8-12, -15 rating, 22 PIMs, 74 shots, 56,0 FO%, 13:35 ATOI

Career:  701 GP, 110-146-256, -25 rating, 278 PIMs, 1,016 shots, 50.7 FO%, 15:16 ATOI

Potential Suitors:

As discussed, given the complete lack of offensive production the past couple of seasons, it would be tough to find a team that could justify giving regular minutes to Eakin. His game is primarily focused on defense and playing in his own zone, so not having a stellar track record on the other side of the puck is understandable, but there is a clear difference between the 0.41 points-per-game Eakin averaged from 2013-14 through 2018-19, and the 0.21 points-per-game he’s averaged since.

All of that said, there are still several extremely valuable things Eakin brings to the table. For one, his ability to play in his own zone and kill penalties, something he’s been doing his entire career. Experience doing this and the ability to work with a team’s younger players on this can be extremely valuable. Speaking of experience, Eakin has been to a Stanley Cup Final and has 50 playoff games of experience under his belt. Not only that, given his play style, he’s been trusted in some of the most crucial moments of those playoff games before. Having been there, and done it, a team bringing in Eakin as a situational player can expect him not to be phased when the time comes.

The usual suspects for forwards in these Free Agent Profile articles tends to be the Minnesota Wild and New York Islanders, who could both use some help up front. However, Eakin doesn’t seem to make sense for either, who have a few options already that play a similar role. An option that could make sense is a reunion in Vegas. With Robin Lehner headed to LTIR, Vegas will have a little more space with which to work, and though it won’t allow for any groundbreaking moves, bringing in a familiar face to do the little things might be preferable to a veteran-heavy team like Vegas as opposed to a younger player with little NHL experience or some sort of a shuffle of taxi-squad players.

Projected Contract:

This late in free agency with many organizations set on their rosters, and especially now with his regression, it’s hard to imagine Eakin will see the sort of money he earned when he signed with Dallas in 2016 or Buffalo in 2020. Still, at 31 years of age, Eakin’s career is far from over, even if he’s approaching the tail-end of his prime years. Instead of hoping to extend his career just a bit longer, he is more likely still in a position to try to rebound and get back to the player he was in Dallas and Vegas not too long ago.

This might require him to take a league-minimum $750K contract, or even a two-way deal. It could also come on the heels of a successful PTO stint, which may be the most likely scenario at this point in the offseason. A PTO might actually be a favorable opportunity, with the signing team wanting to evaluate Eakin, they would put him in positions to succeed and show he’s capable of the rebound, which could ultimately lead to be more consistent opportunities out of the gate.

Sabres Notes: Eichel, Eakin, Samuelsson

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Jack Eichel’s camp plans to make one final push to Sabres management about getting his desired disk replacement surgery and has been collecting medical opinions to support their desire, reports ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.  The center’s case is well-known at this point and Kaplan suggests that the next step could be a grievance which, to this point, has been the last resort option.  A handful of teams are believed to be in the mix for Eichel in a trade with Buffalo now being amenable to at least part of the return being conditional depending on how he recovers from the surgery.  Of course, for things to get to that part, he has to have the surgery first and will be out for a significant amount of time regardless of which procedure he winds up having.

More from Buffalo:

  • Center Cody Eakin has been ruled out for the next two games (including tonight’s contest against Boston) and will be listed as day-to-day after that, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. Head coach Don Granato appears to be targeting next Thursday’s game in Anaheim as a possible return date for the 30-year-old.  Eakin’s off to a nice start this season with a goal and an assist in three games but will be sitting out the next few now.
  • Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson returned to practice for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury in a prospect game a little over a month ago, relays Jourdan LaBarber of the Sabres’ team site. The 21-year-old won’t travel with the team for Saturday’s contest against New Jersey but could be ready to play soon after.  Samuelsson played in the last 12 games for Buffalo last season, picking up two assists while averaging a little over 18 minutes a game.

Buffalo Sabres Limited By Salary Cap Floor

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The Buffalo Sabres will be over the NHL’s salary cap floor by the start of the season, that much is obvious. While CapFriendly currently has the club sitting $2.3MM below the $60.2MM benchmark, that is with a 22-man roster that does not include unsigned RFA defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. While the 2018 first overall pick is not quite yet proven himself worthy of the considerable long-term deals signed by other top defenseman this off-season, he will surely make more than $2.3MM AAV on his next contract.

Yet, that does not end the Sabres’ battle with the cap floor. Just because they begin the season over the floor, does not mean that they will remain as such all season – or at least not if they wish to have flexibility with their transactions. Buffalo is again expected to be among the NHL’s worst teams this season and will be open to selling current members of the roster. Of course, Jack Eichel is the biggest name who could be available. However, at $10MM AAV it has been brought up numerous times that an Eichel trade is not as easy as it may seem. A team may offer a plethora of top picks, prospects, and entry-level players, but the Sabres would not be able to make that deal alone, as it would leave the team well below the salary cap floor regardless of Dahlin’s contract. Buffalo would have to acquire a nearly equal amount of salary back in the deal or else be prepared to quickly turn and add that salary in another deal. As a rebuilding team, the Sabres also won’t eager to add high-priced veterans who serve little purpose to a team with no title hopes. It makes an already difficult situation with Eichel all that much more tricky.

Even if Eichel begins the season with Buffalo, which seems increasingly likely, and even plays out the year with the team, the cap floor will still come into play. As the trade deadline approaches, the Sabres want to be in position to take full advantage of their valuable trade assets. The team has four forwards, four defensemen, and two goalies who are impending UFA’s and whose expiring contracts would be worth far more to another team. Colin Miller ($3.875MM), Will Butcher ($2.823MM), Cody Eakin ($2.25MM) and Vinnie Hinostroza ($1.05MM) stand out as potentially popular trade candidates at the deadline. Depending on Dahlin’s contract, could they move Hinostroza or maybe even Eakin or Butcher without going below the floor? Probably. But Miller? Or multiple moves? Likely not. The deadline is also not a place that is likely to offer even salary swaps.

If GM Kevyn Adams and the Sabres want to enter the 2021-22 season with the confidence that they can make any move they want without limitation, they need to find a way to sensibly add salary to the roster. For a rebuilding team, it may be difficult to think about adding salary to a team that won’t contend, but it would be a short-term sacrifice to ensure their long-term plans are not affected. The team could explore the trade market for a veteran or two that can help to develop the young roster or perhaps a young, but overpaid reclamation project. Or maybe they could entertain adding a legitimate starting goalie. They could also explore the free agent market which, even late in the summer, still has some attractive names available. With the Sabres pegged to give roster spots to minimum-salary fourth-liners like Drake Caggiula and John Hayden, it might make more sense to give those slots and more importantly more salary to a high-upside project like Ryan Donato, Alex Galchenyuk, or Nikita Gusev or a veteran leader like Tyler Bozak, James Neal, or Jason Demers. 

The Sabres have plenty of options to solve their salary cap floor conundrum beyond just re-signing Dahlin. However, those options could disappear if they don’t act quickly, and with it their transactional flexibility this season.

Vegas Golden Knights Shopping Max Pacioretty

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Perhaps spurred by the recent progress in getting the 2020-21 season up and running, the Vegas Golden Knights are back at it, working the phones in an effort to make a move to get salary cap compliant. Vegas is one of a number of teams currently over the salary cap upper limit and must shed some salary before play begins. However, the player that GM Kelly McCrimmon is allegedly pushing to other teams may come as a surprise. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that veteran forward Max Pacioretty has been the subject of trade talks this off-season, with those discussions picking up steam in recent days.

Pacioretty, 32, may be one of the older players on the Vegas roster but is still an elite scorer. The long-time Montreal Canadien was in fact the Knights’ leading scorer this past season, recording 66 points in 71 games for a career-high scoring clip. He added another eight points in the playoffs. In the two seasons since coming over from the Habs, Pacioretty has shown no signs of slowing down. His loss would be felt in a major way in Vegas, both on the ice and in the locker room.

However, Pacioretty’s $7MM, while commensurate to his production, is a massive weight on the Golden Knight’s salary cap. If the team were to move Pacioretty without retaining any salary, they would not only be under the cap ceiling but would have the flexibility to make an addition if they so desire. Seravalli mentions top available free agent Mike Hoffman or a reunion with Erik Haula as possibilities. One would also think that Pacioretty would still bring in a considerable return as well; he cost Vegas Nick Suzuki, Tomas Tatar, and a second-round pick just two years ago. However, in a definitive buyer’s market, McCrimmon would have to be careful not to give away Pacioretty for too little just for the sake of cap savings. The team was already lambasted for trading top defenseman Nate Schmidt for pennies on the dollar in order to facilitate the signing of Alex Pietrangelo. 

One other concern for the Knights’ brass is the locker room culture. There have already been reports of many players being unhappy with the frequent trades that the team has made and the perceived lack of loyalty toward the roster. The team has dealt Schmidt, Haula, Colin Miller, Cody Eakin, Malcolm Subban, Brandon Pirri, and Paul Stastny all in the past 18 months, leaving the young franchise with very little roster consistency. There are certainly some in the room who have to be unhappy to even hear the whispers of a potential Pacioretty move. Others in the media have noted that he is not the only name on the block either, with fan favorite Marc-Andre Fleury likely being floated again as well. Vegas must tread carefully when it comes to making any further moves and a Pacioretty trade in particular can only be made with a considerable return and a plan to replace him with the cap savings.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Buffalo Sabres

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It’s Thanksgiving this week in the United States and the holiday season is right around the corner. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, the season hasn’t even begun. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for once the calendar turns to 2021.

What are the Sabres most thankful for?

A deep forward group.

No longer are the Sabres putting all their hopes on youngsters. The team is suddenly loaded with established players who have proven themselves. To go with Jack Eichel, the team has added a number of key additions to go with solid playmakers as the team now boasts Eichel, Taylor Hall, Eric Staal, Sam Reinhart, Jeff Skinner, Victor Olofsson and a number of other players who can thrive in bottom-six roles like Kyle Okposo, Cody Eakins, Dylan Cozens, Casey Mittelstadt, etc. The depth at forward is a major improvement for a team that needs to score and this team should have that quality of depth that should be able to give Buffalo a chance to earn their first playoff appearance in nine years.

Who are the Sabres most thankful for?

Taylor Hall.

With the pandemic flattening out the salary cap for the foreseeable future, there weren’t too many long-term offers for Hall, the top free agent of the 2020 free agent class. Instead, Hall looked for a short-term deal from a team with extra cap room and surprised quite a few people when he picked the Sabres, due to the chance to play next to Eichel for the year.

The addition of Hall, totally enhances the team’s top-nine as he immediately will slot into the top line next to Eichel and will finally get a chance to play next to an elite center, something he hasn’t had in quite a number of years. The hope is that Hall can find his game from two years ago when he was the Hart Trophy winner with the New Jersey Devils, leading them single-handedly into the playoffs. If he can do that for the Sabres, Buffalo should have a legitimate chance to break their nine-year drought and Hall will establish himself again as the top free agent for 2021 in hopes of landing that big-term deal.

What would the Sabres be even more thankful for?

A return to form of Jeff Skinner.

After posting a 40-goal season in 2018-19 and signing a eight-year, $72MM deal, things never panned out after that for Skinner, who struggled mightily with just 14 goals and 23 points in 59 games last season. The forward was a disaster and found himself spending quite a bit of time on the third line trying to find his game. With seven years at $9MM AAV, the Sabres have to hope that Skinner will be able to bounce back and become that fixture on the second line that they were hoping for. The talent is there to surround the goal-scoring forward, but the team needs for him to execute, otherwise the team will be stuck with a player and a contract that they don’t want.

What should be on the Sabres’ Holiday Wish List?

The Sabres may be in need of help in goal. The Sabres have a solid offense and defense, but their goaltending could be what’s holding them back. The team can hope that Linus Ullmark is ready to take the starting load this season. He did produce impressive numbers with a .915 save percentage in 34 appearances, but is he the answer in net? Unfortunately, top goaltending prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, might not be ready for another couple of years, meaning the team may need to find a way to bring in a more proven goaltender that can handle big minutes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sabres Sign Cody Eakin

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The Sabres had added some depth down the middle as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed Cody Eakin to a two-year contract.  The deal carries a $2.25MM AAV.  TSN’s Darren Dreger adds (via Twitter) that Eakin will receive $2MM next season and $2.5MM in 2021-22.

After sending Marcus Johansson to the Minnesota Wild and letting Johan Larsson leave in free agency—Larsson signed a two-year, $2.8MM contract in Arizona earlier today—the Sabres will have quite a different looking group down the middle next season. Jack Eichel will obviously be the team’s first-line option, but Eric Staal and Eakin will now figure into the middle-six. Where that leaves Casey Mittelstadt isn’t clear and likely confirms what many expected, that Dylan Cozens will start his pro career on the wing (provided he cracks the Sabres roster out of camp).

Eakin is an interesting addition for the Sabres, but not one that comes with any sort of production guarantee. The 29-year-old center has experienced both excellent and terrible seasons over the last few years, alternating drastically between scoring levels. For three seasons with the Dallas Stars starting in 2013-14 he looked like a perfect secondary scoring option, registering close to 20 goals and 40 points each year. But then he fell off a cliff and scored just three goals and 12 points in 60 games during the 2016-17 season.

After a bounce-back in Vegas, many likely considered that 2016-17 season an outlier and his true potential had returned as a middle-six option. Unfortunately, Eakin’s play fell off a cliff again in 2019-20 when he scored just four goals and ten points in 41 games and was traded to the Winnipeg Jets midseason.  With Eakin not re-signing with Winnipeg, Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe notes (Twitter link) that Vegas will receive a 2021 fourth-round pick from the Jets; had he re-signed, the pick would have upgraded to a third-round selection.

Frankly, it’s not clear what the Sabres are really getting in this deal. Though Eakin has shown an ability to contribute on offense and defense, his results at both ends of the rink have been inconsistent at best. Believing he will be a substantial upgrade over Larsson, who signed for less money, could be a mistake.

Winnipeg Jets Acquire Cody Eakin

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The Winnipeg Jets are bringing one of their hometown kids back to Manitoba. Cody Eakin has been acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a conditional 2021 fourth-round pick. Eakin is on the final season of a four-year $15.4MM contract and set to become an unrestricted free agent in July. The pick can become a 2021 third-round selection if the Jets make the playoffs or Eakin re-signs. Vegas will not retain any salary in the transaction.

Apparently, the Jets have decided not to follow in their yearly tradition of spending a first-round pick on a rental second-line center at the deadline. After acquiring Paul Stastny in 2018 and Kevin Hayes in 2019, Eakin comes this season to try and give them a little more depth at the position for a playoff push, even if he won’t be expected to serve in the same top-six role.

The 28-year old has shown he can perform offensively in the past, even as recently as the 2018-19 season when he scored 22 goals and 41 points for the Golden Knights. But that Eakin has been nowhere to be seen this year as his four goals and ten points match Adam Lowry’s disappointing totals for the season. Interestingly, Eakin and Lowry were teammates for a while with the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL and will get a chance to reunite in the Jets’ bottom-six down the stretch.

For the Golden Knights getting rid of Eakin’s contract was likely reward enough, making the conditional pick icing on the cake. The team wasn’t getting any production from the former Dallas Stars forward and needed room if they are going to activate Alex Tuch before the end of the year or make another acquisition. Nicolas Roy can slide into the lineup on a regular basis for the time being, while they grab another piece of draft capital to use in other discussions.

The Jets have assigned Andrei Chibisov to the minor leagues to make room on the roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pacific Notes: Marleau, Sorenson, Eakin, Crouse

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The San Jose Sharks lost a key piece of their core this offseason when veteran Joe Pavelski signed with the Dallas Stars. The Sharks were looking to bring in some of their young prospects to fill the gaps on their team. However, it didn’t take long for San Jose to realize that those pieces might not be ready yet.

The team rectified that issue when it went out and inked former Sharks’ veteran Patrick Marleau to a one-year deal. The veteran immediately made quite an impact, scoring two goals in his return to the franchise. However, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski writes that head coach Peter DeBoer felt that was a major need.

“One hundred percent. You’re not replacing Pav. But he’s definitely of that ilk,” said DeBoer, who said he had several conversations with general manager Doug Wilson after he was bought out by the Carolina Hurricanes this summer. “There was a commitment here to give the young guys an opportunity. The reality is sometimes it takes a bit longer.”

  • Sticking with the Sharks, Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News reports that forward Marcus Sorensen, who has been out for the past two games with an undisclosed injury after taking a collision into the boards, could be ready to return to the lineup on Sunday against the Flames. Sorensen scored 17 goals last season and could help the struggling Sharks get back into the win column. The scribe also reported that defenseman Tim Heed is also close to returning, but likely won’t be available Sunday.
  • Vegas Golden Knights have activated center Cody Eakin as the team expects to insert the veteran into their lineup tonight, according to Las Vegas Review Journal’s David Schoen. The team is expected to have him step onto the third line with youngster Cody Glass moving to the wing. Eakin had a career-year last year, scoring 22 goals and 41 points last year. The 28-year-old has been out with an undisclosed injury that he sustained during the preseason.
  • NHL.com’s Alex Kinkopf writes that Arizona Coyotes forward Lawson Crouse remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old forward is expected to play today against Colorado. Crouse finished last season with 11 goals, 25 points and 288 hits.

 

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