NHL Trade Grades: Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci Dealt by Sharks to Stars

Dominoes continue to fall on the NHL trade market.

After the Rangers traded for J.T. Miller and the Canucks dealt for Marcus Pettersson on Friday night, the Stars responded with a move Saturday by acquiring Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from the Sharks.

Dallas is a true contender with holes in the lineup at center and on defense and was not willing to take any chances. The Stars paid a hefty price to bring in two players, especially with some of the biggest names already off the board

Let's analyze the trade for the Stars and assess if the Sharks got enough value to justify moving two rentals well in advance of the March 7 deadline.

The Dallas Stars are as much of a contender as any team in the Western Conference, but there are alarming weak points in the lineup. The injury to Tyler Seguin that will keep him out for perhaps the entire season leaves a gaping hole at center behind Roope Hintz and Matt Duchene.

Mikael Granlund should slot in nicely on the third line. A few years ago, he was a negative asset; Pittsburgh dumped his contract to San Jose to facilitate the Erik Karlsson deal. The Finnish center has completely remade himself with the Sharks and has reminded everyone of his proficiency as a playmaker. Granlund slows the game down and carefully scans his options in the offensive zone. He has masterful control of his stick, with precision passing and some of the best weighting on his passes among NHL centers. On the power play, where he has full time and space to operate, he is highly influential.

There are limits to his game. He is a perimeter player who doesn't create much as a shooter. He's undersized (5'10") and overpowered in physical battles, and he is dreadful defensively. Dallas can make it work because he'll be able to deploy on the third line in sheltered minutes.

Cody Ceci is the type of defensive player that coaches seem to love more than the stats do. He's decent at defending against the rush and he makes simple plays with the puck, usually throwing it off the glass from the defensive zone. The major problem with Ceci is that his style of play leaves his team spending way too much time out of possession, and he does not do nearly enough to prevent scoring chances. Perhaps he was overexposed in San Jose, but he's barely proven to be a third-pairing defenseman on better NHL teams. No doubt the Stars need defensive depth, but Ceci is unlikely to be the answer.

To be fair to Dallas, options are limited at both center and on right defense, and the Stars absolutely need reinforcements. A first-round pick for Granlund isn't ideal, but the recent injury to Yanni Gourde leaves no other rentals available who come even close to Granlund's talent. Pertaining to him, maybe Dallas did what it had to do.

But if Ceci is the team's conception of how to complement Heiskanen and Harley, then their defense will remain a big worry heading into the playoffs.

Grade: C

The state of affairs is straightforward in San Jose. This season hasn't been the exercise in nihilism that 2023-24 was, but the Sharks remain unmistakably in rebuild mode. Mikael Granlund will soon be 33 and will be an unrestricted free agent in July. Cody Ceci is 31 and is also an impending UFA.

Granlund is a middle-six center and, in most markets, he'd probably bring in a second-round pick plus a lesser asset. To get a first in return for him is great business by GM Mike Grier.

Meanwhile, Ceci barely qualifies as a useful depth defenseman, and a conditional third-round pick is two rounds better than he is worth.

Simply, it's difficult to see how the Sharks could have gotten better value than these two by waiting any longer. It's a weak rental market, and San Jose reaps the rewards.

Grade: A