The Edmonton Oilers have shipped veteran defenceman Cody Ceci and a 2025 third-round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for prospect Ty Emberson. This comes days after the St. Louis Blues signed offer sheets for both Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. Ceci has one year remaining on this $3.25 million dollar contract. Now let’s examine this Oilers trade and how it works for both teams.
Examining the Oilers Cody Ceci Trade
The Oilers Side
Edmonton has added $2.3 million dollars of cap savings by trading Ceci away. The Oilers currently sit $5.9 million over the cap and are likely looking to make another move to be able to retain either Holloway or Broberg. Ceci played most of last season on Edmonton’s second pair, alongside Darnell Nurse. However, during the Oilers Stanley Cup run, he was passed on the depth chart by Broberg. Moving Ceci out shouldn’t hurt the Oilers much especially if they are able to retain Broberg.
Emberson made his NHL debut last season in San Jose. The 23-year-old played in 30 games scoring 10 points. He should be expected to start season in the AHL, and likely won’t factor in much for the Oilers this season.
The San Jose Side
San Jose is in the midst of a rebuild and they have plenty of cap space. Using that space to take a contract from Edmonton in exchange for a third-round pick makes a lot of sense. Adding more assets is a top priority as they wait for their young draft picks to develop. Expect San Jose to be open to doing more of this type of deal for the next few seasons.
What’s Next?
The Oilers have just two days to either match the offer sheets to their two RFAs or let them go. Edmonton is likely looking to make at least one additional move to be able to retain either Broberg or Holloway. It will be interesting to see if they can find another trade partner, and what the conclusion to this week’s offer sheet saga will be.
