Cody Eakin

Cody Eakin (born May 24, 1991) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He was selected by the Washington Capitals in the third round, 85th overall, of the 2009 NHL entry draft and has previously played for the Capitals, Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres.

Playing career Major junior Eakin was drafted in the first round, sixth overall, by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2006 WHL Draft. At the 2009 NHL entry draft, he was selected by the Washington Capitals in the third round, 85th overall.

In 2010, Eakin was named to the WHL (East) Second All-Star Team. On January 9, 2011, he was traded to the Kootenay Ice in exchange for Christian Magnus, Ryan Bloom, Jarett Zentner, Colby Cave, Steven Myland and three draft picks ranging from 2011 to 2012. In his first year with the Ice, Eakin was named to the WHL (East) Second All-Star Team.

Professional

Eakin began the 2011–12 season with the Washington Capitals' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hershey Bears. On November 1, 2011, the Capitals called-up Eakin to their roster, and the following day, he made his NHL debut with in 13 minutes 19 seconds of ice time, but no points, in 5–4 overtime win over the visiting Anaheim Ducks. Eakin scored his first NHL goal on November 4 against Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes.

On June 22, 2012, during the 2012 NHL entry draft, Eakin was traded to the Dallas Stars (along with a second-round draft pick) in exchange for Mike Ribeiro.

Eakin scored his first career Stanley Cup playoff goal on April 23, 2014, against Frederik Andersen of the Anaheim Ducks. The goal ended up being the game-winner in a 4–2 victory as the Stars tied the series at two games apiece.

On December 16, 2016, Eakin was suspended for four games for charging New York Rangers' goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Through injury and a lack of production, Eakin endured his worst season in the NHL during the 2016–17 campaign, scoring just 3 goals and 9 assists (12 points) in 60 games.

On June 21, 2017, Eakin was left exposed by the Stars and chosen by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. In his first season with Vegas, Eakin scored 11 goals and 27 points in 80 games. The team fell in five games to Eakin's former club, the Capitals, in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. During the 2018 playoffs, Eakin scored 3 goals in 20 games.

The Golden Knights matched up with the San Jose Sharks during the first round of the 2019 playoffs. In Game 7 on April 23, Eakin cross-checked Joe Pavelski in the chest following a faceoff. Pavelski landed awkwardly on his head, causing the referees to issue Eakin a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct, despite neither of them seeing the infraction as they mistakenly assumed that Pavelski had been checked in the head. At the time of the penalty, the Golden Knights were leading 3–0 with just over ten minutes remaining. However, the Sharks would score four goals on the ensuing five-minute power play. When a major penalty is called, the entire penalty must be served, regardless of how many goals are scored. Vegas tied the game with less than a minute left in the game, but the Sharks eventually won 5–4 in overtime, eliminating the Golden Knights. According to Golden Knights general manager George McPhee, the league called him days after their elimination to apologize for the call, while referees Eric Furlatt and Dan O'Halloran did not officiate another game in the remainder of the 2019 playoffs.

In the following 2019–20 season, Eakin struggled to produce offensively with the Golden Knights positing just 10 points through 41 games. On February 21, 2020, Eakin was traded by the Golden Knights to his hometown Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2021 conditional fourth-round pick. Later, on March 9, 2020, Eakin scored his first goal as a Winnipeg Jet - the game-winning goal - in a 4–2 win vs the Arizona Coyotes.

On October 10, 2020, having left the Jets as a free agent, Eakin signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres.

On September 11, 2022, Eakin signed a professional tryout agreement with the Calgary Flames. On October 6, he, alongside Sonny Milano, were released from their tryouts.

Personal life Eakin grew up in an athletic family, as both his father and his uncle Bruce Eakin played professional hockey.

International play

Eakin was a member of Canada's gold medal-winning team at the 2015 World Championships, where Canada won the title for the first time since 2007 with a perfect 10–0 record.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2006–07 Winnipeg Wild AAA MMHL 38 29 35 64 62 7 5 4 9 10 2006–07 Swift Current Broncos WHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2007–08 Swift Current Broncos WHL 55 11 6 17 52 12 3 4 7 6 2008–09 Swift Current Broncos WHL 54 24 24 48 42 7 3 0 3 10 2009–10 Swift Current Broncos WHL 70 47 44 91 71 4 1 1 2 2 2009–10 Hershey Bears AHL 4 2 0 2 2 5 0 0 0 2 2010–11 Swift Current Broncos WHL 30 18 21 39 24 — — — — — 2010–11 Kootenay Ice WHL 26 18 26 44 19 19 11 16 27 14 2011–12 Hershey Bears AHL 43 13 14 27 10 5 0 1 1 0 2011–12 Washington Capitals NHL 30 4 4 8 4 — — — — — 2012–13 Texas Stars AHL 35 12 12 24 14 — — — — — 2012–13 Dallas Stars NHL 48 7 17 24 31 — — — — — 2013–14 Dallas Stars NHL 81 16 19 35 36 6 2 3 5 0 2014–15 Dallas Stars NHL 78 19 21 40 26 — — — — — 2015–16 Dallas Stars NHL 82 16 19 35 42 13 1 7 8 8 2016–17 Dallas Stars NHL 60 3 9 12 49 — — — — — 2017–18 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 80 11 16 27 22 20 3 1 4 4 2018–19 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 78 22 19 41 16 7 2 0 2 17 2019–20 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 41 4 6 10 16 — — — — — 2019–20 Winnipeg Jets NHL 8 1 4 5 0 4 0 0 0 4 2020–21 Buffalo Sabres NHL 46 3 4 7 14 — — — — — 2021–22 Buffalo Sabres NHL 69 4 8 12 22 — — — — — 2022–23 SCL Tigers NL 34 8 12 20 8 — — — — — NHL totals 701 110 146 256 278 50 8 11 19 33

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2008 Canada IH18 4 2 1 3 0 2009 Canada WJC18 4th 6 2 0 2 2 2011 Canada WJC 7 1 2 3 2 2015 Canada WC 10 4 1 5 0 Junior totals 17 5 3 8 4 Senior totals 10 4 1 5 0

Awards and honours Award Year WHL East Second All-Star Team 2010, 2011