Defenceman Cody Ceci has decided to leave the Pittsburgh Penguins after an outstanding regular season with them. He has decided to sign with the Edmonton Oilers on a four-year deal. The AAV will be north of $3 million per season.
There’s a strong market for veteran ‘D’ in free agency: Word is that both Ian Cole and Cody Ceci will get north of $3M annually on their new contracts.
Ceci is leaning towards Edmonton, as @FriedgeHNIC and others have reported, on what’s believed to be a four-year term.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 28, 2021
Cody Ceci Signs With Edmonton
This deal has been a long-time coming for Ceci, who struggled mightily going into this past season before proving his doubters wrong. He took a one-year “prove it” deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins and was able to finally cash out. Ceci played third-pairing minutes with Mike Matheson for most of the season and had four goals and 17 points in 53 games. He also was on the ice for nearly 50% of the shot attempts at 5v5 for the season.
To make matters even better, the Penguins had nearly 60% of the actual goals when Ceci was on the ice at 5v5. That blew away his last career-high of 52% with Ottawa back in 2016 and if he can do that again next year, this deal will look even better. Stepping away from his offence, he was also outstanding in his own zone this past season. Pittsburgh only surrendered 15 high-danger goals while he was on the ice (compared to 27 for) as he was constantly shutting the opposition down.
Ceci’s the kind of defenceman that can do it all and on the third pairing, it’s exactly what Edmonton is looking for. He’s no longer a liability in his own end and has also added a little bit of offence to his game this season. This signing may not look like the biggest, but it’s essential if they are to be a good team this season.
Main Photo: BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 28: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Cody Ceci (4) skates past the bench after scoring during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 28, 2021, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
