The Edmonton Oilers made a trade with the Vancouver Canucks earlier in the day on Sunday. They acquired former top-10 pick Vasily Podkolzin from Vancouver in exchange for a fourth-round pick. However, they were not done wheeling and dealing. Edmonton has now traded veteran defenseman Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks are acquiring Ceci and a 2025 third-round pick from the Oilers, according to The Athletic's Chris Johnston. In exchange, San Jose is sending defenseman Ty Emberson to the Western Conference champions. With this move, the Oilers clear about $2.3 million in additional cap space they can use this summer.
“Cody is a solid, competitive veteran defenseman who brings a well-rounded skill set to our group,” said Sharks general manager Mike Grier in a statement through the team's official website. “He’s a strong penalty killer who can also contribute offensively and he brings extensive playoff experience. We’re excited to have him join our organization.”
Ceci spent parts of three seasons in Alberta with the Oilers. The veteran defenseman averaged around 20 and a half minutes a game during his time with the franchise. In 2023-24, he averaged 20 minutes a game as he and Edmonton went to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
Oilers trade Cody Ceci to free up offer sheet flexibility
Much like the Podkolzin trade, the timing of this deal cannot be ignored. The St. Louis Blues extended offer sheets to two Oilers restricted free agents — Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. However, Edmonton had negative cap space at the time. Trading Cody Ceci hasn't changed this, according to Puck Pedia. The trade does make matching one of the offer sheets a possibility, though.
Edmonton could have cleared space without a trade. Forward Evander Kane is dealing with an injury that could keep him out for the start of the season. As a result, the team could place his $5.125 million cap hit on long-term injured reserve. On its own, though, they did not have the space needed to match one of the offer sheets.
Moving Ceci's contract gives them the room to match one of the offers, as pointed out by Sportsnet's Mark Spector. Spector continued by speculating the team would match the offer for Broberg. As a result, the team would receive a third-round pick and allow Holloway to join the Blues.
This is certainly an interesting situation to follow given the rarity of offer sheets in the NHL. Edmonton still has a little less than 48 hours to make an official decision. Fans will definitely want to keep their eyes on this story as it continues to develop in the coming days.
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