On Monday afternoon, the Dallas Stars signed one of their two remaining restricted free agents, announcing that the club had reached terms with young forward Cody Eakin on a two-year contract.
Eakin, 22, came to Dallas in June 2012 from the Washington Capitals in the trade that sent longtime Stars center Mike Ribeiro to the nation's capital.
The hard-working young center has settled in nicely over the past two seasons, spending most of his time centering Dallas' third line although the Winnipeg native has played some on the Stars' second line during his short yet productive tenure in Big D.
Eakin finished tied for fourth on the team with 16 goals and 35 points last season. He also led the Stars by winning 47.8 percent of his face offs.
Stars general manager Jim Nill is understandably happy to get a deal done with Eakin, who figures to center Dallas' third line this season, one which begins Oct. 9 against the Chicago Blackhawks at American Airlines Center.
"Cody is a two-way, young forward who competes hard and has the ability to make plays offensively," said Nill in a club-issued press release. "He has just scratched the surface in terms of his development at this level and we are confident that over these next two years, we'll see him mature into an even more dependable and productive player."
Young defenseman Brenden Dillon, also a restricted free agent, remains unsigned. It's unclear whether or not Dillon and the Stars will reach terms before Dallas starts the regular season a week from Thursday.
