Inside the NHL’s Biggest Contract Blunders of 2025: Shocking Surprises from Huberdeau to Provorov
The difference for Ceci is that he’s gone from playing tough minutes to a draw while being fairly worse than teammates, to losing tough minutes badly while being significantly worse than teammates. There’s a big difference between his 2023-24 season with the Oilers (54 percent xG, minus-0.3 relative) to his 2024-25 work with the Stars (46 percent xG, minus-0.5 relative).
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That’s a dramatic falloff, one that suggests Ceci is probably a lot closer to third-pair territory these days. The Kings are paying for what Ceci once was and the Stars made the same mistake trading for him, expecting the same. It’s possible he makes a complete return to form playing behind Drew Doughty, but the more likely scenario is that Ceci, at his age, is no longer a player who can handle top-four minutes for any extended period.
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