The talent has always been there for Patrick Eaves.
It's just that all of the other stuff got in the way.
The 34-year-old winger has an impressive resume. He went to the prestigious Shattuck St. Mary's prep school. He played in the U.S. National Development Program. He played at Boston College, was a first round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2003, and scored 20 goals in 58 games as a rookie.
It's a heck of a pedigree, and to top it all of his dad is acclaimed Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves.
That makes Patrick Eaves a pretty smart player with a ton of talent.