Pending UFA Ceci Open to Coming Back to Sharks, Talks Luka Doncic Protests & More

Cody Ceci returned to the SAP Center on Saturday night, but this time it wasn’t as a member of the San Jose Sharks.

It’s been exactly a week since the Sharks traded Cody Ceci and Mikael Granlund to the Dallas Stars. Now they’re already back in their old stomping grounds as members of the opposing team.

“It’s been a weird week for sure, especially coming back this soon,” Ceci said ahead of Saturday night’s game.

The Stars are the sixth team Ceci has played for over the course of his NHL career: “I’ve been on a number of teams now, and that just kind of happens in the game.”

“It is tough because everything happens so fast. You have to get down there right away, and they expect you to play right away,” the 31-year-old defenseman said about joining his new team for their Feb. 2 tilt against the Columbus Blue Jackets. “So we actually didn’t have time to to practice with the Stars before the game. We just had to hop right into it.”

They also had to deal with a protest.

The Stars’ acquisitions were quickly overshadowed in the city of Dallas when the NBA’s Mavericks made a trade sending superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Me and Granny were joking on the way into the rink that the Luka trade really took the pressure off us,” Ceci shared. “They were protesting in numbers out there [at American Airlines Center]. It was pretty crazy.”

Ceci has been relied on heavily since arriving in Dallas, playing on their top pairing alongside Thomas Harley. That’s not expected to be his long-term role, as he’s filling a gap while Miro Heiskanen and Ilya Lyubushkin have been out with injury. In his first three games with the Stars, Ceci averaged 21:36 time on ice. That figure is down only ten seconds from what he averaged under San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky.

Despite the trade, Ceci hasn’t changed his plans for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off break, which he’ll spend with some of his now former teammates.

“We’re going to Hawaii,” Ceci said. “There’s a whole whack of guys coming from San Jose. [Tyler] Toffoli, [Luke] Kunin, and a bunch of others are gonna be down there.”

Ceci also didn’t entirely close the book on his career as a member of the San Jose Sharks too.

He’ll be an unrestricted free agent, assuming he doesn’t sign an extension with the Stars, and when asked if coming back to San Jose would be an option for him, he replied:  “There’s always that possibility. At this point in my career, [I’m] just looking for a little stability, and if that’s here, then that’s here.”

He also added that he and his new organization haven’t begun talks of an extension: “Right now, I’m just focused on playing for the Stars.”

Ceci closed out by looking back fondly on his short stint with the Sharks. “It was great. We really loved living here, loved playing with all the young guys, all those skill guys, so we had a lot of fun in our short time here. I know my wife really enjoyed living here.”