The Athletic released their annual list of the ten worst contracts, and former Stars defenseman Cody Ceci came in as the ninth worst in the NHL leading into the upcoming season.
Ceci was acquired via trade from the San Jose Sharks prior to the trade deadline last season in a package deal that also included Mikael Granlund. Ceci paired with Esa Lindell in a top-4 role for most of the remainder of the year, including the postseason.
Ceci's numbers did not look great during his tenure in Dallas, and while many of his skills were needed for the Stars to fill a role, he did not end up making enough of a difference to get Dallas over the hump.
Now, Ceci signed a four-year deal for $4.5 million per season with the Los Angeles Kings, who are also looking to get over the Edmonton Oilers hump. The Kings have been eliminated four seasons in a row by the Oilers in the first round and are re-tooling with new General Manager Ken Holland.
Ceci is a right defenseman, which are few and far between these days, especially during free agency. That is part of what fetched him this price, but general managers have long over-valued Ceci for what he actually brings to the table.
The Athletic estimates his value at $1 million per season, meaning the Kings are paying over $14 million in surplus value over four seasons. Those stats get him listed on the list of worst NHL contracts.
Interestingly enough, the aforementioned Granlund who also just left the Stars for a big contract elsewhere (3 years at $7 million with Anaheim) was one of the next five players who just barely missed the list.
The Stars wanted Granlund back, but the Finn got paid well above his estimated value after a successful run with Dallas over the final months of the season.
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