On the night of Aug. 18, the San Jose Sharks made a shocking transfer on their blue line, sending Ty Emberson to the Edmonton Oilers in trade for Cody Ceci and a 2025 third-round choose. Whereas not an enormous commerce, the deal is eye-catching as a result of Emberson was a breakout candidate for the Sharks, and there was hypothesis that the Oilers must quit greater than they in the end did to get a crew to tackle Ceci’s contract. This commerce says quite a bit about how San Jose sees their protection.
Emberson and Ceci in Very Totally different Profession Phases
At 24 years outdated, Emberson has performed simply 30 NHL video games, all with the Sharks. He steadily adjusted to the professional recreation, and the Sharks rewarded the restricted free agent with a one-year contract this offseason. The signing prompt — at the least on the time — that he may very well be a valued defenseman in San Jose this season.
In fact, that has modified with the acquisition of the 30-year-old Ceci, who has appeared in 786 NHL regular-season video games and 88 playoff video games and is now on his fifth crew. He’s a sturdy, defensive defenseman, and his veteran presence ought to be useful to a younger Sharks roster.
San Jose’s determination to usher in a veteran blueliner makes quite a lot of sense. However giving up a younger defenseman to do it’s unusual. Ceci’s title is already being mentioned in commerce rumors, and with the one yr remaining on his contract, he won’t be part of the Sharks’ long-term plans.
Nonetheless, the truth that administration was prepared to maneuver Emberson to get Ceci exhibits that Emberson most likely didn’t fall into that class both. It’s significantly complicated since Emberson was one of many younger defensemen talked about when normal supervisor Mike Grier defined his determination to go along with in-house rent Ryan Warsofsky because the crew’s new head coach.
Because the Sharks rebuild, their blue line stays one among their main query marks. This commerce appears a bit like they’re kicking the can down the highway as a substitute of making an attempt to reply these questions.
Sharks Have Many Selections to Make About Their Protection
Even with out Emberson, the Sharks have a handful of promising younger defensemen of their system, equivalent to Henry Thrun, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Luca Cagnoni, and Sam Dickinson. However this commerce doesn’t appear to assist them a lot. It moved out an up-and-coming blueliner with out opening up a roster spot for an additional one.
The third-round choose might theoretically be used to draft Emberson’s substitute, however the Sharks might have snagged a 2026 choose within the first or second spherical, contemplating that the Oilers approached this commerce as a cap dump. Given their rebuilding standing, they actually might have waited yet one more season for the choose to take impact.
Associated: Sharks Might Remorse Giving Up on Emberson
Primarily, the Sharks don’t have quite a lot of certain issues on protection proper now. The one established defenseman on the roster, who ought to be a significant a part of the crew’s future, is Mario Ferraro. The entrance workplace is making quite a lot of bets on the path of the blue line. They’re betting that each one or a lot of the aforementioned 4 younger defensemen will flip into reputable NHL gamers and that whoever they draft with that third-round choose will do the identical.
They’re additionally betting that Ceci might be round for extra than simply this season or that no matter they get for him in a commerce will try this as a substitute. Maybe most boldly, they’re betting that Emberson gained’t flip right into a participant who might have helped San Jose in an space of want.
The Sharks are in the midst of reconstructing a protection, seemingly from scratch, that has been arguably the worst within the NHL over the previous couple of seasons. For his or her plan to succeed, a lot of the above predictions, if not all of them, want to return true. The commerce might be a very good one if these outcomes manifest themselves, however for now, the Sharks simply added a number of steps to an already troublesome and prolonged activity.
