The Los Angeles Kings signed 31-year-old defender Cody Ceci to a four-year contract after losing Vladislav Gavrikov. Ceci played 85 games last season between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars, recording four goals and 20 assists for 24 points, and owns 52 goals and 183 assists in 871 career games. He brings 106 playoff games of experience with 22 postseason points. His defensive play and analytics have been criticized, particularly versus top competition. PuckPedia projects Ceci as a bottom-pairing defender behind Brandt Clarke, likely starting on the second pairing and rotating to the third. Special teams work appears unlikely, and a realistic projection is three goals and 25 assists (28 points) in 82 games, with upside if paired effectively.
Ceci, who is 31 years old, played 85 games last season between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. In that time, he scored four goals and added 20 assists for 24 points. In 871 career games, he has scored 52 goals and added 183 assists for 235 points. In the playoffs with the Stars, he had three assists through 18 games, and brings a total of 106 games of playoff experience to the Kings, with 22 points to show for it.
His defensive game was often criticized by both Sharks and Stars fans, as well as around the league, since his analytics didn't look good, and he was often burned against top competition. Obviously, analytics aren't the be-all, end-all in terms of what kind of player Ceci is, and he has shown at times during his career that he can be a solid contributor. The issue comes when he is forced to play against top competition, which is what he did last season, and his numbers dropped in every category.
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