2020 NHL Season: Grading the Toronto Maple Leafs’ right defense at season pause
By Simon Vacca
Cody Ceci
Games Played: 56
Goals: 1
Assists: 7
Points: 8
Acquired — along with Ben Harpur, Aaron Luchuk and a 2020 third-round selection — by the Maple Leafs as part of a trade that sent Connor Brown, Michael Carcone and Nikita Zaitsev to the Ottawa Senators, Cody Ceci’s tenure in Toronto has primarily been defined by a quality of disappointment.
The 26-year-old was never going to be a cornerstone piece — nor was he expected to be a dynamic-altering performer. But Ceci’s one-year, $4.5 million contract became a recurring talking point among the Maple Leafs faithful, as fans viewed the defenseman’s earnings as a hindrance to Dubas’ ability to get creative with the team’s cap space.
Coming off a 2018-19 season in which he tallied seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points as a member of the Senators, many hoped that Ceci would find a way to further improve as a member of the Maple Leafs. But over the course of 56 games, Ceci notched just one goal and seven assists for eight points — a process that culminated with the right-shot defender sustaining a nasty ankle injury in February.
In all, Ceci’s time as a member of the blue and white was forgettable for both club and player. While he was not bad on the penalty kill and played fairly well when afforded opportunities to occupy the team’s third defensive pairing, No. 83’s lack of offensive production and recurrent shortcomings in his own end rendered his 2019-20 campaign challenging at best.
Grade: D+