Yahoo Sports Oilers Will Face 2 Former Teammates Against Sharks
Friends off the ice, enemies on the ice.
This is how hockey players tend to think of their former teammates after they part ways. Hockey is a business, after all, and players move around all the time. The Oilers will have to shift into "enemies" mode today as they face two former teammates with the San Jose Sharks.
One, they've already faced. Klim Kostin is in his second season with the Sharks after a midseason trade from Detroit last year, having already faced the Oilers once with each team.
Kostin became something of a folk hero in his lone season in Edmonton, scoring 11 goals and 21 points in 57 games in 2022-23 and garnering plenty of fans with his aggressive and boisterous play.
It's been tough sledding for Kostin since he left Edmonton, however. He put up only 14 points between Detroit and San Jose last season and has been a frequent healthy scratch this year with the Sharks.
The Oilers will also get their first look at Cody Ceci since trading him to San Jose over the offseason. Ceci was a much-maligned player among fans during his three years in Edmonton, but was universally beloved in the dressing room.
Despite his poor advanced numbers, Ceci certainly made his mark in Edmonton, garnering the nickname "Mr. Game Seven" for his clutch offensive performances in the playoffs.
That being said, the early returns on the Ceci trade have been great for Edmonton. The return, Ty Emberson, has been a steady presence on the back end, while Darnell Nurse is playing the best hockey of his career without Ceci by his side.
Ceci, meanwhile, has had a really rough go of it in San Jose, struggling with big minutes on a rebuilding Sharks team. It won't get any easier for him today as he's tasked with stopping his high-flying former teammates.
Their on-ice reunion starts at 2:00 today at Rogers Place.
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