The Los Angeles Kings and general manager Ken Holland added multiple proven and experienced veterans at key positions on the projected roster for the upcoming 2025-26 in this past free agency cycle this offseason. Among the defensemen the Kings signed from free agency earlier this summer is former Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers, and Dallas Stars blue-liner Cody Ceci.
Holland and the Kings signed Ceci to a four-year contract worth an average annual value of $4.5 million. Considering that the Kings saw defensemen Vladislav Gavrikov and Jordan Spence walk and sign with other teams in free agency earlier this offseason, it was a bit confusing that Holland and the LA front office were so willing to pay Ceci over $4 million annually on a hefty four-year contract.
Ceci was part of the Oilers blue line that Holland assembled when he was part of the Edmonton front office in the early 2020s.
Cody Ceci 2024-25 player season recap
2024-25 season stats: 85 games played, 4 goals, 20 assists, 24 points, +6
2024-25 advanced stats: 4.4 shooting %, 11.2 5-on-5 shooting %, 0.8 points/60, 4.9 point shares
2024-25 possession metrics: 42.9 CF%, 44.1 SCF%, 102.9 PDO, 41.9 HDCF%
Because of a trade with the San Jose Sharks that sent him to the Stars, along with forward Mikael Granlund, around the trade deadline this past season, Ceci played a career and league-best 85 games in the 2024-25 campaign. That number is also good for the second-most games played in any NHL regular season besides Bob Kudelski, who played in 86 games in 1993-94, in league history.
The advanced metrics do show some of the areas Ceci can touch up his game a bit in the defensive zone going into training camp and the preseason with the Kings this fall. He posted a subpar 42.7 corsi percentage and 44.0 scoring chances percentage with the Stars down the stretch this past regular season. He also registered a corsi percentage of under 43 percent in the postseason for the Stars' blue line.
Ceci will certainly bring more grit and physicality to the Kings' defensive unit for this upcoming season. He was one of a single-digit number of Western Conference defensemen this past season to register over 150 blocked shots and 75 hits in the regular season (per Stathead).
Cody Ceci 2025-26 Los Angeles Kings season preview
Ceci is expected to play second or third-line pairing minutes on the blue line for head coach Jim Hiller and the Kings this upcoming season alongside fellow new LA free agent signing at defense, Brian Dumoulin. The 6-foot-3 and 210-pound veteran Ceci does bring a physical edge to the Kings' blue line.
Given that the Kings needed to add more experience and physicality to this defensive unit for this upcoming season, it does make sense that LA would sign a veteran to the blue line like Ceci.
The question will be whether Ceci's contract ages well since he'll be encroaching on 35 years of age going into the final year of his four-year contract in the 2028-29 season.