Sabres sign Eakin to two-year deal

Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty ImagesThis afternoon, Darren Dreger of TSN was the first to report that the Buffalo Sabres had reached a two-year agreement with unrestricted free-agent forward, Cody Eakin. The deal will carry a cap hit of $2.25 million.

In 2018-19, Eakin posted a career-high 41 points in 78 games. Last season, he saw a dramatic reduction in his base scoring totals, registering only 15 points in 49 contests. While the 29-year-old has been a hot-and-cold half-point-per-game player for a good chunk of his career, his underlying metrics have been less impressive.

In four of his last five seasons at the NHL level, he has posted a below-replacement-level xGAR rate, and he…