Oilers make two trades in response to offer sheets

Trade #2 - Oilers trade Cody Ceci and their own 2025 third round pick to San Jose in exchange for right defenceman Ty Emberson

We all knew that Cody Ceci would be traded, it was just a matter of when. Although he did well in a limited one game stretch in game seven of the finals last season, it was too belated to save his time as an Oiler. As soon as he lost his chemistry with Darnell Nurse we all knew he would be the one who would be gone as a cap casualty as he was the most logical choice.

In San Jose Ceci is slated to once again become a top pairing defenceman, pairing with Mario Ferraro, who set a new career high with three goals and 21 points for the Sharks last year, albeit with a ghastly -38 which we can likely chalk up to San Jose being a terrible team. I don't understand why the Oilers had to throw in a third round pick considering Ceci is a right shot guy but I'm assuming the trade market for him was softer than we all expected.

The player we get in exchange is a young 24 year old right shot D in Ty Emberson. A third round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2018, he played almost half the season for the Sharks last year, putting up 1-9-10 in 30 games with a -4, not bad numbers for a rookie playing on a rebuilding team.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch likely was the biggest reason why the Oilers traded for Emberson, as Emberson played for the Hartford Wolf Pack two seasons ago when Knoblauch was coaching there, a year when he put up 7-20-27 in 69 (giggity) games for the Wolf Pack, the farm team of the New York Rangers.

It's less clear whether this means the Oilers aren't going to match Broberg's offer sheet, as I don't see Emberson as a straight up replacement for Broberg. The most likely explanation is that Emberson is likely going to compete in training camp with Troy Stetcher and Josh Brown to see who will play on the right side next to Darnell Nurse on the second pairing, who will play on the right side next to Brett Kulak on the third pairing, and who will be the extra guy. If I had to guess, as the most skilled and experienced one of the three, Stetcher has the inside track at second pairing right D.

All of this is, of course, assuming that Philip Broberg's offer sheet won't be matched, which we won't know officially until tomorrow. If the Oilers do match on Broberg? Emberson will probably start the year in Bakersfield and likely play the role of the first callup in case of injury or poor play. Stetcher, however, is capable of playing in the top four as he was playing on the second pairing for the Coyotes prior to the Oilers trading for him at last season's trade deadline.

Emberson is signed for only $950,000 for this season against the cap, at which time unless he spends a full season in the NHL he'll be a Group 6 free agent. If he does play in the NHL for at least 50 games he'll be a full unrestricted free agent and cost even more on his next contract, although not much more all things considering.

It's worth noting that after the dust has settled on these two trades, the Oilers only have three draft picks in the 2025 NHL entry draft - a fourth, a sixth, and a seventh rounder - although they could potentially have a second and a third rounder back if they don't match on Holloway and Broberg tomorrow. All of these picks at this point in time are their own picks, with likely at least one of St. Louis's coming back to us tomorrow.

As always, only time will tell what happens here.

You can read even more about the trades here.