Vegas Golden Knights pull of a heist as Eakin is traded to the Jets

The Vegas Golden Knights have given themselves some breathing room under the cap after trading Cody Eakin to the Winnipeg Jets.

First reported by Darren Dreger of TSN, the Vegas Golden Knights are dealing Eakin to the Jets for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2021, that could morph into a third-round selection if Winnipeg either make the playoffs or re-sign the forward.

Given that the Jets currently occupy a Wild Card and are making moves, it is very possible that the Golden Knights will be getting a third-round pick for an expiring contract, which is a stunning return.

That is an absolute steal by the Knights and you have to give a lot of credit to General Manager Kelly McCrimmon for getting that kind of return for a pending UFA.

To not even have to send a draft pick the other way is outstanding, and it gives the Golden Knights a bucketload of flexibility now.

It was reported by Jesse Granger of The Athletic that Vegas is still interested in trading for another piece between now and the Trade Deadline on Feb. 24, with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Erik Gustafsson a preferred target.

By trading Eakin, the Golden Knights shift the forward’s $3,850,000 cap hit off the books, thus giving them the cap room to go and acquire a puck-moving defenseman or a depth forward.

And, to get a fourth-round pick that could turn into a third is an outstanding piece of business by the Knights.

After all, Eakin is a pending UFA and probably would have been allowed to walk in the off-season anyway, while he has endured a down year.

Through 41 games this year, the forward has four goals and six assists for 10 points with a -9 rating, while his Corsi is at an average 49.5.

Eakin has been averaging 14:39 minutes of total ice time this year with a 47.4 faceoff percentage, while he ranks low in a number of metrics, including a 2.2 goals below replacement, fourth-worst on the Knights.

It has just been a down year for the 28-year-old who has been a part of the problem when it comes to the Knights’ lack of secondary scoring.

Plus, with the emergence of Nicolas Roy who has impressed since being acquired in a trade from the Carolina Hurricanes in the summer as part of a deal that sent Erik Haula in the other direction, Eakin became expendable.

Of course, few will forget the contribution the center made to this franchise after being taken by the Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.

He recorded 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 80 games as Vegas made a stunning run to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural year, while Eakin achieved career-highs in goals (22) and points (41) last year.

However, as already mentioned, Eakin’s play somewhat fell off a cliff this year and his cap hit far exceeded his performances on the ice.

With Roy also doing more than enough to stick in the big leagues for the rest of the year, it makes perfect sense to trade Eakin.

And, with no retained salary, the Golden Knights will now have added cap space to be able to go and make another move before Monday in order to further bolster this roster after trading for Alec Martinez on Wednesday.

They are projected to have around $6,375,000 in cap space ahead of the Deadline (factoring in Alex Tuch’s return from LTIR), and it wouldn’t be surprising if they made another move or two.

This is a huge win for the Vegas Golden Knights and all eyes will now be on what they do between now and the Trade Deadline.

Cody Eakin, who will now return home to Winnipeg, recorded a total of 78 points (37 goals, 41 assists) in 199 games for the Golden Knights.