The Edmonton Oilers have recently been connected to two defenders from a rebuilding team, and one of them, they should try to avoid at all costs. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period suggested that the San Jose Sharks had received interest in defenders Cody Ceci and Mario Ferraro, adding that the Oilers were a team that could reach out to gauge the asking price for both of them.
The Oilers had traded Ceci to the Sharks in the offseason with a third-round pick in exchange for Ty Emberson as the team was looking to free up some cap space, and they made away like bandits considering how strong of an upgrade Emberson has been defensively for a cheaper price. While Ceci provided a strong off-ice presence, he wasn’t a consistent defender on the ice, and the trade was given positive feedback by the majority of Oilers fans.
Related: Insider Claims Oilers Gauging Defensive Trade Market, Open to Making Moves
However, this recent update from Pagnotta suggests the Oilers have been gauging the defensive market in hopes of bolstering their depth for another deep playoff run, and they would be open to a reunion with Ceci. In no way should they consider bringing Ceci back, considering his inability to provide anything of value to the team as they try to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final, and they hope to win it this time around. Even if the Sharks were able to retain half of his salary, Ceci brings negative value to the Oilers, and they need to avoid bringing him back.
Ceci’s On-Ice Play Should Scare Oilers Away
Ceci, who is a 31-year-old, right-shot defender, was drafted in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators at 15th overall after a strong showing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Ottawa 67’s where he scored 17 goals and added 43 assists for 60 points through 64 games. He went back to the OHL the following season where he scored 19 goals and added 45 assists for 64 points through 69 games.
In his 831-game NHL career, he has scored 51 goals and added 172 assists for 223 points which comes out to a 0.27 points-per-game average. His lack of offensive production combined with his defensive inconsistency should scare any contending team away, and his analytics support the argument that he isn’t the best target for a contending team.
Cody Ceci, acquired by SJ, is a minute-munching veteran depth defenceman. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/WJ61aZCSCb
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) August 19, 2024
The Oilers decided to attach a draft pick to Ceci to get rid of him in the offseason, and to even consider bringing him back would be a mistake. The Oilers easily won the deal with the Sharks, getting away with a defensive-minded mastermind in Emberson and while they would be smart to add some depth to their blue line in the event any injuries happen closer to the postseason, there are plenty of other options available that the team should look into acquiring first.
A few names that come to mind as better options than Ceci are Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Murphy, Philadelphia Flyers’ Rasmus Ristolainen, and Montreal Canadiens’ David Savard. Either way, the Oilers would be smart to bring in a depth defender who doesn’t break the bank in hopes of making another deep playoff run to try and win their first Stanley Cup since 1990, but they should avoid a reunion with Ceci at all costs. He was a great person off the ice as stated by plenty of his teammates in the past, but he doesn’t provide anything positive, and shouldn’t be someone the Oilers give up assets to bring back.
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