Sharks defenseman, a pending UFA, would ‘love to stay’ in San Jose. Where do things stand?
SAN JOSE – From the time the San Jose Sharks acquired Cody Ceci from the Edmonton Oilers in August, there has always been the possibility that the pending unrestricted free agent could be flipped at the NHL trade deadline for future assets.
Another possibility for the Sharks is re-signing Ceci, and the veteran defenseman said Monday he would love to stick around San Jose past this season.
With two months left before the NHL trade deadline on March 7, the right-shot Ceci said he’s more than open to signing a contract extension with the rebuilding Sharks, who he feels are headed in a positive direction.
“It’s always a big decision,” the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Ceci told Bay Area News Group, of where to continue his career. “The organization is going to do what’s best for them, and I’m going to do what’s best for myself. I’ve really enjoyed my time here so far. I’d love to stay and work with this group and see what we can do in the future.
“The future is bright with some of these young guys, and I’d love to stay and be a part of it.”
Ceci, who turned 31 on Dec. 21, is second among all Sharks skaters this season in average time on ice (22:02), as he’s formed one-half of the team’s top defense pair, mainly with Jake Walman, but recently with Henry Thrun.
Going into Tuesday’s home game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Ceci, who advanced to the Stanley Cup Final with the Oilers last season, leads the Sharks in shorthanded time on ice (132:33) and blocked shots (73).
Saturday, Ceci scored his third goal of the season late in the period, helping the Sharks earn a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils.
“The role I’m in now is a big role, and it’s a lot of fun,” Ceci said. “It’s a good opportunity for me, and I think it’s a good opportunity for the organization to use me now in that role and later down the road with some young guys.”
Ceci said there have not been any contact extension talks with Sharks general manager Mike Grier but is hopeful those conversations can be had by later this month or early February. The Sharks do not play from Feb. 9-22 as the NHL breaks for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Ceci is in the final year of a four-year, $13 million contract he signed with the Oilers as a free agent in July 2021. He said he’d like to sign a new deal with a similar term.
“I think that would be good, put me into my mid-30s,” Ceci said. “I think that would be something we’re looking at.”
From a positional and organizational standpoint, it would be easy to see Ceci fitting in with the Sharks long-term. The other right-shot defensemen on San Jose’s roster are Jan Rutta, another pending UFA, and Timothy Liljegren, who is signed through next season but has mainly been used in a middle-pair role.
The Sharks feel Jack Thompson and fellow right-shot defenseman Sam Dickinson have bright futures, but it would be too much to ask either to fill a top-pair role in the NHL next season.
Henry Thrun and Shakir Mukhamadullin are also emerging, but both are left-shot defensemen.
After the Sharks acquired Ceci and a 2025 third-round draft pick from the Oilers for defenseman Ty Emberson, Grier mentioned that trading Ceci “could be an option. But it also could be where we really enjoy the player and think he fits in well with our group, and he likes it here, and it turns into something where he can end up being a partner for some of our young (defensemen) coming along.
“We’ll just have to see how the season plays out.”
Ceci’s attributes of being a big, slot-blocking, penalty-killing, and playoff-experienced right-shot defenseman figure to make him a sought-after trade target for some postseason-contending teams. But those same attributes could also make him someone Grier and the Sharks want to try and keep around.
“He’s just a true pro in every sense of the word,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Ceci.
“The way he takes care of himself, the way he competes on a nightly basis, the way he trains in the gym, plays through the bumps and bruises, and his identity as a defenseman in this league doesn’t waver very much.
“He’s been a big key for us to show the younger defenseman how to play at this level, night in and night out.”
While the Sharks are not in playoff contention this season and might not be for at least another year or two, Ceci feels the team is trending in the right direction.
“When you have guys coming back each year already familiar with the systems and the way things are, you lose that adjustment period where you’re trying to figure things out, and you’re losing games,” Ceci said. “So I think the more you keep guys around, the better it gets year after year.”
GRUNDSTROM UPDATE: Winger Carl Grundstrom was a full participant in Monday’s practice and could be an option to play against the Golden Knights on Tuesday, Warsofsky said, as the Sharks close out a six-game homestand.
Grundstrom was injured in the first period of the Sharks’ game against the Calgary Flames on Dec. 28 as he absorbed an open-ice hit in the neutral zone from defenseman Brayden Pachal. Grundstrom left the game and was placed on injured reserve last Thursday to create a roster spot for defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who made his season debut that night. The Grundstrom transaction was retroactive to Dec. 29.
The Sharks would need to make a corresponding move to activate Grundstrom, who has five points in 30 games this season. One solution would be to place center Nico Sturm on IR. Sturm was injured in last Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning when he blocked a shot from Darren Raddysh and did not practice Monday.