Vegas Golden Knights should move Cody Eakin at Trade Deadline

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 02: Cody Eakin #21 of the Vegas Golden Knights warms up against the Winnipeg Jets at T-Mobile Arena on November 2, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) /

We are edging ever closer to Thanksgiving which means that the NHL Trade Deadline will soon be here, and the Vegas Golden Knights could be busy.

I mean, it is almost certain that the Vegas Golden Knights will be active in and around the Trade Deadline in order to bolster their roster ahead of the postseason.

After all, just look at the last two years when the Knights have made a host of aggressive moves in order to dramatically improve their team.

There was the Trade Deadline in 2018 when the Golden Knights gave up first, second and third round picks to acquire forward Tomas Tatar from the Detroit Red Wings ahead of what turned out to be a stunning run all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in the franchise’s inaugural year.

And Vegas went one better at last season’s Trade Deadline after going all out to trade for one of the most coveted assets out there in Mark Stone, before signing the forward to an eight-year, $76,000,000 contract.

So don’t expect it to be any different this season. Because, and this is worth keeping in mind, the Golden Knights will have some cap space flexibility come Feb. 24, 2020, and they could of course move some pieces in order to add to that.

And that brings us onto a possible scenario that we think needs to be discussed – the Vegas Golden Knights should consider trading Cody Eakin at the Trade Deadline.

We’re going to delve into both the pros and cons before giving our final verdict on why we think it makes perfect sense to move Eakin…

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 09: Vegas Golden Knights center Cody Eakin (21) skates against the Washington Capitals in the first period on November 9, 2019, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Pros To Trading Cody Eakin

First and foremost, Cody Eakin is going to be an unrestricted free agent next summer so it makes this decision easier when it comes to trying to get something for the forward rather than risk losing him for nothing in the off-season.

And, following the emergence of rookie Cody Glass this year, it is fair to suggest that Eakin has become expendable now.

I mentioned this in another piece on Tuesday but Eakin has become somewhat of a road block for Glass and his progress this season.

Why’s that? Because, entrenched in the third line center role, Eakin has ensured that Glass has been stuck on the wing for large chunks of the season.

A natural center, Glass has shown what he’s capable of after scoring the vast majority of his seven points (three goals, four assists) as the second line pivot between Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone.

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Now, granted, Glass has fared okay on the wing but he’s struggling as of late because of the struggles of the third line, which has become somewhat of a poisoned chalice for the Golden Knights.

As a result, trading Eakin would allow Glass to be promoted back up to the second line where he can play top six minutes, bumping Paul Stastny down to the third line and thus automatically strengthening the Knights’ strength in depth at the center position.

And, by trading Eakin for either a role player, picks or a prospect and shedding the forward’s $3,850,000 cap hit, the Knights would have some cap space to go out and trade for a left wing to slide in on the third line alongside Stastny and Alex Tuch.

Because, let’s face it, with just one point in 11 games Brandon Pirri has hardly got it done this year, while Valentin Zykov‘s future with this franchise is unclear following his 20-game suspension for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

Or, it could allow them to go out and trade for the puck-moving defenseman they so desperately crave, maybe somebody like Tony DeAngelo of the New York Rangers?

However, getting back to Eakin, he has regressed somewhat this season after carving out career-highs in goals (22) and points (41) in 2018-19.

Through 15 games this season, the 28-year-old has no goals and just three assists with a plus/minus rating of -6, and he ranks low in a plethora of possession metric stats.

So, cutting ties with a player who appears to be on the slide and freeing up some cap space would be a big win for the Vegas Golden Knights, who have other holes on the roster they need to plug.

DETROIT, MI – NOVEMBER 10: Jonathan Bernier #45 of the Detroit Red Wings follows the play as teammate Madison Bowey #74 battles for position with Cody Eakin #21 of the Vegas Golden Knights during an NHL game at Little Caesars Arena on November 10, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit defeated Las Vegas 3-2. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Cons To Trading Cody Eakin

For many of the reasons mentioned in the previous slide, the Vegas Golden Knights won’t get a lot in return for Cody Eakin for two reasons.

Firstly, he is due to become an unrestricted free agent in the off-season so teams aren’t going to give up a boatload for a player they could go after for nothing in the summer.

And, secondly, Eakin has struggled in a plethora of departments so far this season and, as such, his value is going to be at an all-time low.

So, the only real positive for the Golden Knights trading Eakin is to literally free up some cap space rather than what they will get back in return, which is going to be minimal even if the forward does all of a sudden enjoy an offensive splurge.

Also, Eakin has been part of this franchise since it entered the National Hockey League in 2017, and he’s one of the core guys in the locker room.

However, sports is a cutthroat business and you have to make tough decisions when chasing a championship as the Golden Knights are.

TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 7: Vegas Golden Knights center Cody Eakin #21 sets for a face-off against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period at the Scotiabank Arena on November 7, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Final Verdict

It would be hard to let Cody Eakin go because of his overall body of work with this franchise and what he means in that locker room, but I truly believe it would be the best thing for this team.

With his contract expiring and following the emergence of Cody Glass, coupled with the addition of bottom six forward Nicolas Roy, the Golden Knights can afford to lose Eakin now and it would allow the coaching staff to slot Glass in at center where he belongs.

dark. Next. Notes on Pacioretty & Glass

Also, and this is the most important factor, it would free up some much-needed cap space for the Knights who will then have some flexibility to strengthen the roster in other ways ahead of the postseason.

So, overall, if Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon gets a phone call about Cody Eakin, then he should consider pulling the trigger on a trade.

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