Amateur Eaves attended
Shattuck-St Mary's School which is an
Episcopal Church-affiliated
boarding school in
Faribault,
Minnesota. He played his collegiate hockey at
Boston College. After a very good
freshman year the Senators drafted him 29th overall in the first round of the
2003 NHL entry draft. He played two more years with the Eagles, where he won several awards, including
Hockey East Player of the Year, earned All-America and All-Conference first-team honors, and was a
Hobey Baker Finalist. Also during that time he represented his country at the
2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, tallied one goal and five assists in six games. In 2005, he decided to leave Boston College to sign with the
Ottawa Senators.
Professional Ottawa Senators Eaves started the
2005–06 season with the
Binghamton Senators in the
AHL, and after a good start he was called up to Ottawa, hitting the 20 goal plateau in the NHL. The playoffs, however were a disappointment as they lost to the
Buffalo Sabres in the second round. In the
2006–07 season, Eaves recorded career highs in points (32) and assists (18) which included 10 points (6–4) in 13 games in January. In game three of the first round of the 2007
Stanley Cup playoffs on Sunday, April 15, 2007, Eaves took a violent shoulder check to the head after coming around the Penguins' net from
Pittsburgh Penguins forward
Colby Armstrong, causing him to be carried off the ice on a stretcher. He did not return to play the rest of the series. In the
Eastern Conference finals against the Sabres, Eaves returned to the lineup in the series-deciding game five.
Carolina Hurricanes In the
2007–08 season, Eaves spent much of the season injured. On February 11, 2008, the Senators traded Eaves along with
Joe Corvo to the
Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for
Cory Stillman and
Mike Commodore. On June 4, 2008, he signed a three-year contract with the Hurricanes worth $4.2 million. In the
2008–09 season, Eaves saw his production drop, recording only six goals and eight assists in 74 games, battling shoulder injuries much of the season.
Detroit Red Wings in a game vs. the
Dallas Stars in December 2010. On July 24, 2009, Eaves was traded by the Hurricanes to
Boston Bruins along with a 2010 fourth-round draft pick in exchange for defenseman
Aaron Ward. The Bruins then placed Eaves on waivers for the purpose of buying out his contract. On August 4, 2009, Eaves signed a one-year contract, valued at $500,000, with
Detroit Red Wings. Eaves scored his first goal with the Red Wings in a 6–5 shootout loss to the
Edmonton Oilers on October 29, 2009. In early January, 2010, he scored his 50th career goal against the
San Jose Sharks. On July 7, 2010, Eaves signed a one-year extension with the Red Wings. On July 1, 2011, Eaves signed a three-year extension with the Red Wings. The deal was worth $3.6 million, and had a cap hit of $1.2 million per year. Eaves played just ten games in the 2011–12 season before suffering a broken jaw and a concussion in a game against
Nashville Predators on November 26, 2011. Predators defenceman
Roman Josi's shot hit him in the side of the face; Eaves missed the rest of the season due to the concussion. On October 29, 2012, Eaves stated he was "not close" to returning and was still suffering headaches and post-concussion symptoms from the previous year's injury. On January 18, 2013, the Red Wings announced that Eaves was cleared to return to play.
Nashville Predators On March 5, 2014, Eaves was traded to Nashville Predators, along with
Calle Järnkrok, as part of a deal that brought
David Legwand to Detroit. Eaves played five scoreless games with the Predators to close the
2013–14 season. signs autographs at
Galleria Dallas in September 2014.
Dallas Stars Eaves brief tenure with the Predators came to an end on July 1, 2014, when he signed as a free agent to a one-year deal with the Dallas Stars. On July 1, 2015, the Dallas Stars re-signed Eaves to a one-year contract. In the midst of the
2016–17 season, his third and final year of contract with the Stars, Eaves had already established career highs with 21 goals and 37 points, playing on the top offensive line, alongside
Jamie Benn and
Tyler Seguin.
Anaheim Ducks With the Stars languishing in the standings, on February 24, 2017, he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a conditional draft pick in
2017, which eventually became a first round pick. Upon arrival in Anaheim, Eaves picked up right where he left off with the Stars. He recorded 11 goals and three assists to put him well above his previous career best numbers. Eaves played in seven playoff games with the Ducks before suffering a lower body injury that kept him out for the remainder of the playoffs. On June 23, 2017, Eaves opted to give up his impending free agent status to sign a three-year, $9.45 million contract to remain with the Ducks. On February 19, 2019, the Ducks placed Eaves on waivers. ==Personal life==