Report: Ceci's Stay in San Jose Likely to be Short-Lived

The Edmonton Oilers have responded to the St. Louis Blues' offer sheets to Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway with a big move late Sunday night to allow them to be able to match one or both, if they so choose, by Tuesday morning's deadline.

The San Jose Sharks lent a helping hand by taking on veteran defenseman Cody Ceci and his $3.25 million cap hit, along with a third-rounder, in return for Ty Emberson.

Ceci will add some veteran presence to the Sharks' blueline, but the question is for how long?

As also noted by Edmonton Journal beat writer Jim Matheson, we think that Ceci probably won't want to buy a house in San Jose.

suspect the Sharks will trade Ceci next trade deadline to a contender when he is upcoming UFA defenceman
— Jim Matheson (@jimmathesonnhl) August 19, 2024

Matheson figures the Sharks will trade Ceci and his expiring contract to a contender before this coming season's trade deadline, and add to their take on moving out the young d-man Emberson. They should probably be able to nab another third-rounder at least, if Ceci performs well.

The 30-year-old right-shot blueliner was relatively solid for the Oilers this past season (mainly when he wasn't paired with Darnell Nurse), registering five goals and 25 points with a plus/minus of +12, while averaging 20:01 of ice time per night in 79 games.

"Cody is a solid, competitive veteran defenseman who brings a well-rounded skill set to our group,” said Sharks GM Mike Grier in a team news release. “He’s a strong penalty killer who can also contribute offensively and he brings extensive playoff experience.”

Of course, 'playoff experience' won't help the rebuilding Sharks much in the coming campaign's postseason, as they have little-to-no shot of making the playoffs, but it could help them at the deadline, if they're able to gather another asset for the future.