Before the start of the 2025-26 season, the Kings signed both Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin to multi-year deals, which drew criticism given Cody Ceci's recent play and Brian Dumoulin's age. Cody Ceci was coming off a season in which he played for the San Jose Sharks and was later traded to the Dallas Stars, where he finished his season before ultimately signing with the Kings. 

The 2025-26 season for Cody Ceci was a bit of a down year when compared to his previous seasons. With the Kings this season, Ceci played in all 82 games, registering 1 goal and 8 assists for 9 points. Ceci would also average 17 minutes a game, which would be the first time since the 2020-21 season he would register his season time on ice below 20. 

Ceci would often play on the bottom pairing alongside Brian Dumoulin, and even with Ceci having a down year, he would help the Kings' defence rank among the best in the NHL throughout the season. Another negative aspect is that Cody Ceci's contract includes a modified no-move clause, which was also considered a negative at the time of signing. 

In the playoffs, when the Kings faced the Avalanche, Ceci would struggle against the offensive juggernaut, recording 0 points in 4 games and finishing with a -2 rating. Ceci in the regular season would have a plus/minus of -10, which is the 2nd-worst on the Kings. The worst is Kevin Fiala, who has a -11, but played only 56 games due to injury.  

Overall, individually, Cody Ceci would hurt the Kings at times. There were aspects of the season in which Ceci would help the Kings improve defensively, but overall, this signing thus far is playing out as everyone thought it would, and the Kings have Cody Ceci signed until 2029.