Blackhawks: There is one Penguins free-agent to avoid at all costs
There are plenty of options in free agency this summer, especially from playoff teams, for the Chicago Blackhawks to consider. The Pittsburgh Penguins are not really one of those teams as they only have one big free agent coming off the books and that is Cody Ceci. He is a player that the Chicago Blackhawks should avoid at all costs. He might look like an attractive defenseman to consider at the surface but there are many issues with his game.
The Chicago Blackhawks should go nowhere near Cody Ceci this offseason.
He did have four goals and 13 assists for 17 points in 53 games this season which are some nice numbers for a depth defenseman. He was also +18 which was the highest he has ever been in his career by far. All of that is fine and dandy but he would be a disaster with the current edition of the Chicago Blackhawks. All of that came with the Pittsburgh Penguins who play a great system and have great players around him.
If he came to the Hawks, he would look like the bad defenseman he was with the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs before going to Pittsburgh. The smartest thing he could do this offseason is just resign with the Penguins if they want him back. This is a “don’t let one year fool you” type of deal.
A player like Ceci on the Hawks would be ugly to watch. He is not very good in his own end and the Hawks are a team that spends a lot of time there. This team loves to give up high danger chances which is not the style of game that fits best for a player like Ceci. Some team is probably (foolishly) going to give him a good amount of money and that is a terrible idea.
This isn’t to disrespect Cody Ceci as a person either. He just wouldn’t fit what the Blackhawks are trying to do right now. He deserves credit for proving some people wrong in 2020-21 but no one should expect it to continue many years into the future.
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It would be better for a young team like the Chicago Blackhawks to give that playing time to some of their younger defensemen. This team needs to start developing some of those top defensive prospects into NHL players. They already made some big mistakes with decision-making on the back end and this can’t be the next one. When it comes to looking at teams for a free agent to snag, the Pittsburgh Penguins are not one because all of their good players are returning.