A Profile of Every New Toronto Maple Leafs Player Part 2 – Defense

Cody Ceci

Acquired from Ottawa via trade

Age: 25

Shoots: Right

Cody Ceci is a polarizing player. As a physical 6’2” defenseman, Ceci has played over 23 minutes/game while chipping in 22 points/82 games over the past 3 seasons. He has great tools, but there are blemishes in his game.

Ceci’s defensive instincts are questionable and he can get caught puck watching at times rather than taking a man in the defensive zone.

Ceci’s on-ice metrics are also admittedly poor, but need to be taken with a grain of salt, or perhaps a pound.

Analytics are a useful indicator of a player’s ability, but Ceci’s unfair deployment as a top-pair defenseman on the worst team in the NHL largely nullifies on-ice metrics as being an accurate indicator of Ceci’s overall game.

On a more positive note, Ceci has shown the ability to jump up in the rush at times and has a booming shot from the point. His offensive gifts have not been entirely realized at the NHL level and provide room for growth.

The Leafs clearly saw something in Ceci’s game that prompted them to re-sign him at $4.5M next season instead of using that money towards another defenseman such as Jake Gardiner.

It was a gamble that fills an area of need for the Leafs, but the jury is still out on whether Ceci can be a capable top-four defenseman.