After the trade that sent Cody Ceci to the Toronto Maple Leafs, some thought the Leafs would end up flipping him or taking him to arbitration. There was even thought they could simply let him walk. None are the case, however as Ceci has verbally agreed to a one-year contract that will pay him $4.5M.
Yes, Ceci verbally agreed to a one year, $4.5 million contract with the Leafs. Arb case likely would have come in above that and that wouldn’t have worked for Toronto. Good opportunity for Ceci to raise his market value. https://t.co/wgtJP7T7rJ
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 1, 2019
Cody Ceci Signs With Leafs
The Ottawa native has spent his first six years playing for his hometown team the Ottawa Senators. He has put up 32 goals and 86 assists for 118 career points in 440 career games. Ceci has three assists in 25 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He was originally drafted 15th overall of the 2012 NHL draft by the Sens.
Last season he scored seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points. He also added 18 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 44.1 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -1.9.
What This Means for the Future
Ceci is coming off a year which saw him on the third pairing with the Sens, yet he was their highest paid defenseman. He did, however, match a career high in points with 26. His Corsi numbers last year were the best since the 2014-15 season.
The change of scenery could be a big help for Ceci. He was often criticized among the Senators fan base. At 25 years of age, Ceci has shown signs of improvement in the last three seasons.
For the Leafs, it was important to not take Ceci to arbitration. Money is still tight as they look to re-sign Mitch Marner. According to Cap Friendly, the Leafs have about $11.4 million in cap space. Any case likely would’ve seen Ceci’s hit above the $4.5 million he will have this upcoming season.
The deal for Ceci shed almost $7 million off of Toronto’s cap. Nikita Zaitsev was in the third year of a seven-year, $31.5M deal. Connor Brown was on the last year of a deal paying him $2.1M.
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