If you tilt your head just right, you can see a version of this season that actually went very well for Cody Eakin. Investment in the top six combined with improvements underneath could have put the energetic forward in a position to maximize the value of his versatile skillset. A guy that can cameo almost anywhere while mainly anchoring an energy line is an NHL coach’s dream, only it turned into more of a nightmare.
First, his colleagues started dropping like flies over the summer, then Eakin himself succumbed to a nasty pre-season knee injury. The Ginger Ninja’s first game of the campaign came on November 17th.