The San Jose Sharks made a move late on Sunday night, sending Ty Emberson to the Edmonton Oilers for a third-round pick and defenseman Cody Ceci. While there is some logic in the move, as it does add some additional draft capital, general manager (GM) Mike Grier will likely regret his decision to move on from a player who was once named the American Hockey League’s best defensive defenseman.
Emberson’s Quiet Potential
Just over a month ago, I wrote about how it seemed like Emberson was set up with a perfect opportunity to impress the Sharks this coming season. Now, he will get a similar opportunity with a new organization. Ultimately though, his skill level is likely going to end up being higher than whoever the Sharks select with the third-round pick they got back in the trade. He’s never going to be a top-pairing defenseman, or at least that shouldn’t be expected of him, but he’s already starting to establish himself as a legitimate NHLer at a relatively young age.
Emberson isn’t a superstar, and many have doubts about whether or not he’ll be able to carve out a long-term role for himself at the NHL level. With that being said, there are no guarantees with any draft pick and once you get out of the first couple of rounds, it’s basically a toss-up on whether or not the players work out. There’s a chance they use that pick to draft a player who becomes a piece of their core for the next 15 years, but there’s a much higher chance that the player never even comes close to making an appearance in the NHL.
Failed Use of Leverage
The Oilers were in a difficult situation, as they desperately needed to clear out some cap space in order to match the offer sheets that the St. Louis Blues submitted to Phillip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. As a result, it would be logical to assume that any team trading with the Oilers would essentially demand a king’s ransom to take some salary off of their books. Instead, the Sharks got a defenseman who is a decent NHL player at this point in his career but ultimately had negative value for the Oilers due to his contract and their current set of circumstances.
Ceci’s reputation around the league isn’t great at this point, and although the Sharks will be able to give him a chance to bounce back this season, they’re likely not going to be able to flip him at the trade deadline since they’re unable to retain any portion of his salary. He will bring some experience to the blue line, however, with a player like Marc-Edouard Vlasic on the roster, that’s not something the team was desperately lacking.
Sharks’ Logjam Remains
The Sharks have quite a few fringe defensemen, that’s not a secret. If they were looking to move one out to open a roster spot for a younger player like Shakir Mukhamadullin, getting a different position or even a future asset in return would make sense. Theoretically, they could scratch or even waive Ceci if they want to open up that spot, but ultimately that would be a lot of money to pay someone if they’re not going to play.
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Ultimately, this trade did almost nothing for the Sharks. Ceci is in a way an upgrade for the current season, but the organization is still years away from playoff contention and it would be very strange to see him spend more than a single season in the Bay Area. Emberson had the potential to be a strong depth player for years to come for the Sharks, even if he never developed into more than a bottom-pairing defenseman. If he goes on to have a great run with the Oilers, this trade will certainly be one Sharks fans struggle to forget.
