The Edmonton Oilers may not be making any huge changes to their team that had most of the right chops to go all this year, but they will make some changes. One area that needs to be addressed is the defense because Cody Sissy and Darnell Nurse cannot be partners next season. Playing them together was detrimental to the team in the playoffs, and even though Ceci was way above his weight class getting the toughest matches, his contract is something to be sacrificed this season.
Ceci doesn’t have a bad contract, but that’s a $3.25 million average annual value (AAV) for two more seasons that the Oilers could use better and hopefully they do. While it could be seen as a dump, I don’t think it would really cost an asset to move it. The return won’t be great, but here are some destinations where he could find more success and where he needs it more than the Oilers.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild not only have an interesting situation on their defense, but their entire team. While they’ve been hit by over $12.5 million in dead cap this season, that takeover penalty increases another $2 million for the next two seasons. They are trying to stay competitive and win while managing to stay under the cap. It is not an easy task, but they require valuable contracts in order to carry it out. With all the experience on Edmonton’s first pairing, bringing in Ceci in the second pairing role will benefit both parties.
Ceci won’t have to take on the toughest encounters because that will be reserved for Jared Spurgeon and Ceci will likely get a strong defensive partner in Jonas Brodin. While fit defenders Matt Doumba and John Klinberg are unlikely to return due to past performances and hat-tricking, it is also believed that Some defensive business candidates To help free up some space. Alex Goligoski has a cap of $2 million AAV and John Merrill has a cap of $1.2 million. While one of them will bench every game anyway, Ceci is a clear upgrade. The team has Brock Faber and Calen Addison playing right side, but both are inexperienced and very young.
Detroit Red Wings
The longer the Detroit Red Wings go without a move, the more questions arise. They opted to trade Filip Hronek during a career year as a youngster and in bloom, leaving only Moritz Seider as the team’s only clear RD under contract next season. There’s Gustav Lindström, but he’s played 36 games this season and is seen as the seventh defenseman.
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I still think a deal is coming, and if it’s not Erik Karlsson, they might try to bridge the gap on the right side with above-average defenders instead. This is where Ceci comes in. Again, the role of the right-side top coupling is clearly closed to the Seider, so Ceci can fit more comfortably in the second pair or less. Although he is not recommended to play in the best minutes, he has the ability to at least fill in while injured. He’s not been under contract for many years and his cost is low although the Red Wings have plenty of room to work with.
San Jose Sharks
I don’t see the San Jose Sharks rebuilding short, especially when it looks as if Carlson will be traded This is an offseason. If and when that happens, the team will only be affected by one defender on the right, Matt Benning. They are in desperate need of the right defenders and Ceci will cost them almost nothing to get them. The Sharks aren’t necessarily interested in winning right now, only developing their skilled young players.
This means that while the Oilers wouldn’t want to use Ceci as the top right fielder, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t be for the Sharks. Henry Throne and Mario Ferraro are both young left-backs and could use a veteran presence on their side. Ceci is stronger at his end and could help these guys along for a few years. The Sharks have a good number of draft picks, but as you mentioned, they will probably only cost a late round due to Edmonton needing to clear cap space.
I think there’s a low chance of Sissy sticking with the Elders because of their status with the cap and his playoff performance, and they could take advantage of another team in need of someone like him. The Oilers’ best bet is to find a business partner before July 1st.