Edmonton Oilers Leon Draisaitl goes to bat for teammate Cody Ceci

After everything that's gone in Edmonton the last few months you'd have to wonder if the other shoe will drop or if it's already happened. The Oilers for their part lost a close game seven to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final and put Evander Kane on LTIR while simultaneously watching Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg having an offer sheet to them by the St, Louis Blues.

Now reports have indicated that Broberg has been happy since before the trade deadline last season and requested a trade which wasn't honoured. This has brought us to today and the idea that Cody Ceci is on the trade block but may not even be moved as he and Leon Draisaitl have become best friends to the point that Draisaitl made sure he wasn't traded at the deadline last year.

It's been shared time and time again that when someone can become a professional athlete and is being asked to move away from familiarity, it can weigh on them. Many times, they aren't allowed to find community and it can be a challenge for them from a mental and emotional standpoint. The idea that Draisaitl has gone to bat for Ceci shows the character he possesses and that he recognizes the importance of Ceci in Edmonton within the team and elsewhere in Edmonton.

But the National Hockey League is a business and within this business, people are moved without much warning. Whether Ceci is being moved is currently undecided, but it could be a blow to the franchise and the greater Edmonton area. Ultimately Stan Bowman should find a way to keep Ceci in Edmonton. He serves an important purpose that can rarely be replicated.