According to a few sources, the Edmonton Oilers are open to it, but not keen on the idea of trading defenseman Cody Ceci. Knowing that he’s still got value, is a useful player, and that finding an upgrade might not be the easiest thing in the world to do with a limited budget, it sounds like the team is leaning toward keeping him on the roster.
That said, the possibility is still there, and as Frank Seravalli noted in a recent article highlighting the Top 40 trade candidates this summer, Ceci ranks at No. 33. Seravalli suggested he was a card GM Ken Holland could play, but also noted, “He doesn’t have to be moved by any stretch of the imagination.” Arguing the Oilers will avoid making a trade if it makes the team worse in the long run, the immediate gratification of that change and freeing up some cap space may not be worth it, “especially with Ceci playing reasonably well for the Oilers to this point.”
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic also touched on the latest talk surrounding Ceci in his recent article and writes:
All I’ve heard for weeks is that the Oilers intend to keep Ceci — at least for now. They say one in the hand is better than two in the bush, so the Oilers are going to need an upgrade at top-four right defence to ditch Ceci in the offseason. That player can’t make much more than Ceci, either.
Nugent-Bowman does admit a trade isn’t completely off the table, however. Suggesting the Oilers will be trading a veteran, he mentioned Brett Kulak, Warren Foegele, and Ceci as options. But, Holland really likes Kulak, and if the Oilers lose Klim Kostin to the KHL, keeping someone like Foegele on the roster might be important.
It’s Ceci or An Upgrade, Nothing In Between
Comments from both insiders suggest that the Oilers will only move Ceci if they have an upgrade on the blue line coming in and it takes freeing up money from a Ceci deal to make that contract fit. This upgrade won’t be a forward and it won’t be to tackle two smaller problems, splitting up Ceci’s pay to cover two areas of need. The Oilers either bring in what they consider to be an improvement at the position Ceci plays, or Ceci stays.
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