Anaheim Ducks: Patrick Eaves has been Placed on Waivers

The news broke, late this morning, that the Anaheim Ducks have placed veteran winger, Patrick Eaves, on waivers.

When the Anaheim Ducks acquired veteran forward, Patrick Eaves, from the Dallas Stars near the end of the 2016-17 season, his relocation to Orange County was met with much excitement. The 32-year-old bearded winger was having the best season of his career, at a point where most players begin their journey on the downward slope of regression.

With the hopes of a playoff berth on the horizon, the Anaheim Ducks had high hopes that adding Eaves to their lineup would add a scoring punch. He did not disappoint, scoring 11 goals, with an added 3 helpers, in 20 games.

That season, the Ducks made it to the playoffs, placing first in their Division. They quickly knocked out the Calgary Flames and, despite the challenge, the Edmonton Oilers fell to the Ducks in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. Unfortunately, the Ducks did not advance past the WCF against the Nashville Predators.

Eaves only played in 7 of the Anaheim Ducks 17 playoff games, but he still managed to score two goals with an added two assists. However, despite missing a majority of the playoff’s, his chemistry with Ryan Getzlaf was the most notable attribute of his first few months in Anaheim.

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Picking him up at the trade deadline reflected well upon General Manager, Bob Murray. Ducks Nation had high hopes going into the 2017-18 season with the prospect of the Getzlaf and Eaves tandem playing beside one another for an entire season.

The Injury Bug Strikes Again…

The veteran’s 2017-18 season, however, came to a startling halt after playing only two games with the Anaheim Ducks. He was diagnosed with what was, at the time, thought to be Guillan-Barre Syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes your immune system to essentially attack your nervous system. While medication can help, there is no cure and in a lot of cases, paralysis does happen.

The good news is, after a lot of investigation, it was found that Eaves did not have this debilitating disease. He was then diagnosed with a post-viral syndrome. While there is still no known cure, the prognosis for this disease is a lot better than the effects of Guillan-Barre.

After spending an entire season off the ice, it was projected that he would rejoin the Anaheim Ducks for the 2018-19. His off-season shoulder surgery would keep him out until about mid-October, but the good news was, he would return to the lineup.

Unfortunately, the winger, plagued by injury for most of his career, fell victim to the injury bug once again. A broken rib caused back spasms, keeping him out of the lineup for a majority of the season. So far, he has played only 7 games with the club, for a total of 9 games in the past two seasons.

Patrick Eaves is Placed on Waivers by the Anaheim Ducks

It was announced this morning that the Anaheim Ducks have placed Patrick Eaves on waivers. His health probably plays a significant factor in this decision. The Anaheim Ducks roster is pretty much set at this point in the season, and due to the health issues he has dealt with this season, he is the odd man out.

Due to the fact that he has only played 7 games and has not one point to show for it doesn’t make him very marketable for the Ducks. An even bigger turn off to other teams looking to add a player to their lineup before they make a big playoff push is Eaves susceptibility to injury.

While it is disappointing to see him placed on waivers, hockey is still a business and the Anaheim Ducks must do what they feel is in the best interest of their team. At this point, he is no more valuable to the team than anyone else already in the lineup.

The most likely scenario here is that PE18 will spend the rest of the season with the San Diego Gulls. Should they need him, Anaheim will still have easy access to him. With the Gulls hoping to make a push for the Calder Cup, having a veteran leader in the lineup could do wonders for the youthful team.

However, the question remains. Where does he fit in their lineup? That is up to Dallas Eakins to figure out, but I think he will give Eaves the opportunity to make some waves in the AHL during the last stretch of the season.

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