Player Review: Patrick Eaves

By: Aaron Francis

This past season fans were unsure if Eaves would even be able to suit up and hit the ice. Early signs were good as GM Bob Murray thought Eaves would be available for the Ducks in the coming 2018-2019 season. However, as he made his season debut in November things did not go as planned. Patrick Eaves only managed to play in seven games going scoreless in that stint. He spent time in San Diego on rehabilitation but wasn’t able to stay in the Anaheim lineup. He was sent back down the remainder of the season where he spent much of his time on injured reserve.

Injuries have not been kind to Eaves ever since he arrived in Anaheim. After being acquired at the trade deadline in 2017, Patrick Eaves formed great chemistry with Ryan Getzlaf and seemed to be a perfect fit for the Ducks top line. He had a career year and during the playoffs, he performed admirably before dropping out due to injury. He signed a 3-year deal in the summer to stay with the Ducks and all signs pointed towards another strong season. However, injuries and illness have cut his career short and Eaves has only been able to play in nine NHL games and score one goal since signing with Anaheim. It was a move that most Ducks fans applauded at the time and yet with just one year left on the deal, it’s highly probable that Eaves has played his last game in the NHL. He will most likely be placed on long term injured reserve for the remainder of his contract and will likely retire this coming off-season.

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Looking forward it’s clear that Eaves has to consider his own health and family before hockey. Patrick Eaves is a fan favorite and regarded as one of the better players in the league when it comes to fan relations. Its a shame to see his career be soured by injuries but at the same time, Eaves can look forward to his future after hockey. Given his immense popularity with the fans, it wouldn’t be strange to see him peruse a broadcasting career either with the Ducks or even at the national level as some former players have done recently such as Patrick Sharp or Alex Tanguay.

Whatever he decides to do going forward he will have the thanks and support of many fans in Anaheim.

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August 21st, 2019