Correction Post: Why Ceci Trade at 50% Retained for Oilers Not Doable

This post is a correction post from a post I originally published a few days ago. In that post, I suggested that the Edmonton Oilers look at the idea of bringing back Cody Ceci at 50% retained because a report by Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic suggested the San Jose Sharks might be open to moving him.

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What’s Wrong With That Ceci Theory?

What I overlooked was the fact that the Sharks have already retained salary on three players, putting them at their maximum for retained contracts at any one time. As Jonathan Willis correctly points out, “If you’re writing a piece about how the Oilers should reacquire Cody Ceci at 50% retained, you should probably know that San Jose has used its three retention slots.”

PuckPedia then noted in the thread of Willis’ post, “A team can’t receive a player with retention for 1 year from when he was last on roster. A team can’t receive a player they retained on for a year, unless that contract ended and he’s on a new contract.” In the case of Ceci, he is still playing on the deal that he signed in Edmonton and has this season remaining on a $3.25 million deal. Until that contract expires, he could not return to the Oilers.

The Sharks have already retained salary on Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, and Tomas Hertl. The fact that they can’t retain on anyone else may potentially cause issues for them at this season’s NHL Trade Deadline.

Ceci Probably Doesn’t Make Sense Beyond This Season

Admittedly, my original post was written with the idea that Ceci might be helpful for a playoff run, but these journalists and cap experts caught my error, which I appreciate.

While there is always a chance the Oilers might look at Ceci next season and at half the price he’s making now, that’s unlikely. The Oilers will have some big decisions coming this summer, not the least of which might be extensions for Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard. At 31-year-old Ceci only makes sense later in free agency, assuming no other teams are willing to offer him more.

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Oilers, Avs, Leafs, Jackets, Sens, Jets