Edmonton Oilers move on from Cody Ceci, acquire right-shot D Ty ...

Finally, some signs of life from Edmonton Oilers on Sunday after five days of silence in response to St. Louis Blues’ predatory double offer sheets to Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway.

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First was the trade Sunday afternoon of a fourth-round pick to Vancouver Canucks of all teams for left winger Vasili Podkolzin. Tonight a bigger move on the back end, moving out Cody Ceci and the last year of his contract (no retention) to San Jose Sharks for a younger, cheaper right-shot defender in 24-year-old Ty Emberson. The Oilers also included a third-round pick in the exchange.

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The departure of Ceci and the final year of his $3.25 million cap hit surely signals Edmonton’s intention to match the Blues offer on Broberg, which came in at just under $4.6 million for each of the next two years.

Holloway’s future hangs in the balance, with Podkolzin serving as a possible replacement. The Oilers are expected to clarify the situation some time on Monday, though no media avail has yet been announced.

Ceci arrived in Edmonton three summers ago as a free-agent replacement for Adam Larsson, who had been lost to Seattle Kraken as part of the expansion draft process. Hard-working and durable, Ceci was a popular man in Edmonton’s locker room, less so in corners of the fan base that saw him as too expensive.

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It’s not like the Oilers didn’t get value from the workhorse defender. In three years in Edmonton, C.C. played 237 games of a possible 246, averaging 20:21 per night with boxcar stats of 11-57-68, +31 and just 52 penalty infraction minutes. He also played 52 of 53 playoff games with 3-10-13, -6 and 14 PIM.

Emberson came up through the US National Team Development Program before playing three years at University of Wisconsin, his home state. A third round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2018, he was traded to New York Rangers in the summer of 2022 and joined Hartford Wolf Pack, where the head coach was none other than Kris Knoblauch, now Edmonton’s bench boss. He enjoyed a solid season there with 69 GP, 7-20-27, +17.

His ELC having expired, the Rangers attempted to waive Emberson to Hartford again last fall, but were thwarted when the Sharks claimed him off the waiver wire. He stayed in San Jose all season, appearing in 30 games with a respectable 1-9-10, -4 for a cellar dwelling team. Averaging 18:33 per game, he displayed a physical style with 94 hits and added 46 shot blocks while seeing spot duty on the penalty kill.

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He missed the closing part of the season with a lower body injury, but it reportedly good to go for training camp. This from Rotowire:

The contract mentioned above was a one-year deal for $950,000 that potentially takes Emberson to Group 6 free agent status that applies to 25-year-olds with fewer than 80 NHL games. Not impossible though, that he plays 50+ games with the Oilers which would allow the team to retain his RFA rights going forward. He’ll join a group that includes Troy Stecher and Josh Brown who will be competing for time on the right side behind Evan Bouchard and, most likely, Broberg. Now that both Ceci and Vincent Desharnais have moved on, there is a job open at 3RD.

The Oilers will miss Ceci in the locker room and on the penalty kill, where he played 54 minutes in the playoffs without being on the ice for a single goal against. But the bald fact is that the Oilers did not have room to add another big pact on the back end for Broberg without offloading some salary. Ceci was the likeliest target for such a move, with lefty Brett Kulak the other prime candidate.

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Tough blow for Cody Ceci, who goes from Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the last-place team in the entire league, but such is life in the NHL. He is the pro’s pro who will take it in stride as he moves on to his fifth NHL club. He’ll help them as best he can, and perhaps be moved at the deadline and/or in free agency again next summer. I wish him well.

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STAPLES: Oilers acquire Vasili Podkolzin from Canucks. Does this mean goodbye to Dylan Holloway?

STAPLES: Oilers will regret if they move on from Broberg without giving him the full Paul Coffey treatment

McCURDY: Oilers are invested in ‘late bloomers.’ Will the strategy work?

STAPLES: Former NHL GM says of Broberg, “I would never let him go”

STAPLES: NHL insider plays the blame game for Broberg-Holloway mess

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