On Sunday (Aug. 18), the Edmonton Oilers dealt defenceman Cody Ceci and their third-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenceman Ty Emberson.
The move was largely well-received in Oil Country, where Ceci’s departure was viewed both as inevitable and necessary. With Ceci carrying a cap hit of $3.25 million compared to just $950,000 for Emberson, the Oilers get some much-needed salary relief by trading away the 30-year-old blueliner.
Related: Ty Emberson: Everything to Know About Oilers’ New Acquisition
While Ceci’s shortcomings were well-documented in Oil Country, his effort and dedication to the Oilers could never be questioned. He was a more effective defenceman than some gave him credit for and deserves appreciation for his contributions over three seasons with Edmonton.
Ceci Was a Fixture in Edmonton’s Lineup
Ceci joined the Oilers on July 28, 2021, signing a four-year contract worth $13 million, and since then, the team has enjoyed its greatest success in decades.
From 2021-22 to 2023-24, the Oilers topped 100 points in the regular season for three consecutive seasons for the first time since six in a row from 1981-82 to 1986-87, and won a total of six playoff rounds, second most in the NHL over that span. This past postseason, Edmonton reached the Stanley Cup Final for just the second time since 1990.
Throughout this run, Ceci was a fixture in Edmonton’s lineup. He suited up for a total of 289 regular season and playoff games for the Oilers over the last three years, fourth most in that span behind only Evan Bouchard, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
Ceci led the Oilers in short-handed ice time for both the regular season and playoffs over the last three years. He played on the top unit of Edmonton’s historically effective penalty-kill that went 66/70 in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Ceci Recorded Some Notable Stats
During his Oilers tenure, Ceci averaged 1.46 hits and 1.42 blocks per game in the regular season, and 1.56 hits and 1.65 blocks in the playoffs. Darnell Nurse was the only Oilers player to register more blocks than Ceci over the last three years.
The Ottawa product is the only defenceman in the NHL to play at least 78 games while being assessed less than 25 penalty minutes in each of the last three regular seasons. He was sent to the penalty box just once in 36 games combined over the last two postseasons.
Ceci’s offensive numbers weren’t spectacular (28 points, 15 points, and 25 points, respectively, in his three seasons as an Oiler) but he produced when the moments were biggest, recording a point in every Game 7 he played with Edmonton. On May 14, 2022, against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, Ceci became just the second defenceman in Oilers history to score the winning goal in a seventh game.
Ceci Was Loved by His Team
While he faced his share of criticism from Oilers fans, Ceci was well-liked in the locker room. To such an extent, in fact, that his teammates might have prevented him from being traded away earlier: His name came up in a number of rumoured deals around the trade deadline in March, but he stayed put, even though Edmonton made several moves. Why? Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman speculated Oilers players expressed internally that they wanted Ceci to remain with the team.
Ceci was also highly thought of by his coaches: “I have all the time in the world for Cody Ceci,” Oilers defence-focused assistant coach Paul Coffey said in a recent Edmonton Journal article (from ‘Expect to see Paul Coffey behind Oilers bench again’, Edmonton Journal, 7/23/24).
Ceci Handles Trade With Class
To what should be no one’s surprise, Ceci has handled being traded to the team with the NHL’s worst record in 2023-24 with absolute class, expressing his excitement to join the Sharks during an interview on NHL Tonight on Monday (Aug. 19).
Ceci will make his return to Edmonton on Dec. 21 when the Sharks take on the Oilers at Rogers Place. He deserves an appreciative round of applause from the Oilers faithful in attendance for that game.
