David Scala
When the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired defenseman Cody Ceci from the Ottawa Senators this past summer, there was an obvious concern as to what role he would be given in the lineup on the back end.
Well noted by Senators fans, Cody Ceci was a very polarizing player in Ottawa. Despite his positive offensive production, defending is most definitely not his strong suit.
Fast-tracking to training camp, Ceci had a relatively decent showing. Being paired up with Morgan Rielly all throughout pre-season, Ceci was a bit of an afterthought among fans. Mostly due to Rasmus Sandin’s remarkable camp and the addition of Tyson Barrie, Ceci was able to come into camp and not have all the focus directly on him.
Through the first 9 games of the regular season, Ceci has had quite a few good games and some bad ones. As Travis Dermott nears his return to the lineup after off-season shoulder surgery, the Maple Leafs back end is sure to change in the coming weeks.
Has Cody Ceci earned himself minutes with Morgan Rielly? Not really, but there was no option to take his place and play those kinds of minutes. Ceci is very familiar with the workload of a top 4 defenseman, so it made sense for Mike Babcock to put his trust in a player who has the experience instead of a rookie.
The Cody Ceci experiment to me is a stopgap until the return of Travis Dermott, who has been slated to be Rielly’s partner. For now, Ceci is doing his job and filling the shoes of an injured top four defensemen, and that’s all you can ask from him. Nothing more, nothing less.