On June 22, 2012, Cody Eakin became a new member of the Dallas Stars. He came over from the Washington Capitals along with the 54th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
The package was exchanged for center Mike Ribeiro, who tied for second in points on the Stars in the prior 2011-2012 season. This move came as a bit of a shock for Stars fans, who had just watched their team fall just short of the postseason for the fourth straight time, officially marking the longest drought in franchise history. Trading one of the best players on the team didn’t seem like the solution, and many Stars fans assumed a rebuild was getting underway.