Oilers Urged To Fix Cody Ceci's Trade To Avoid Regrets

After the trade between the Edmonton Oilers and the San Jose Sharks involving defenseman Cody Ceci became official, NHL analyst Rupert McDonald of The Hockey Writers expressed concern that the Oilers may regret their decision to get rid of the blueliner.

While the move initially seemed like a win for the Oilers, especially given Ceci's $3.25 million cap hit, McDonald warns that the situation could backfire given the Oilers' current defensive lineup and the loss of Philip Broberg to an offer sheet submitted by the St. Louis Blues.

"While Ceci was by no means a perfect defenceman, he played some significant minutes for the Oilers over the course of the last three seasons," McDonald wrote. "At times, those minutes looked to be too much for him, though being tasked to be an everyday top-four defenceman isn’t an easy task for defencemen in the NHL."

Trying to deal with the Blues' offers sheets, the Oilers made two notable trades ahead of the decision deadline.

First, they acquired forward Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks, signaling that they might not match the offer sheet tendered to Dylan Holloway by the St. Louis Blues. Shortly after, however, they traded Ceci and a third-round pick to the Sharks for defenseman Ty Emberson.

Many believed this was a strategic move made with the lone purpose of freeing up cap space to retain Philip Broberg, but when general manager Stan Bowman chose not to match the offer sheets for either Broberg or Holloway, the trade took on a different light.

"Assuming the Oilers go into the season without making any more transactions, their blue line does not match the organization’s goal of competing for a Stanley Cup," McDonald wrote. "They have what many believe is the best forward group in the NHL, and a goaltender that, while not perfect, has proven he can get the job done in Stuart Skinner."

Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that the Oilers are short on high-end prospects and are without a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft, as McDonald noted.

"Should the Oilers not be able to add another impactful piece on the back end, fans may see that, while Ceci had his warts, he did provide value on a blue line that was far from perfect," McDonald wrote. "Losing him could go on to affect the team in a negative light once the playoffs begin."

Related: Oilers Make Tough Trades to Amid Blues’ Offer Sheets Pressure