Former Oilers veteran defenceman takes parting shot at organization

Recently, the Edmonton Oilers have had to make some roster moves due to the return of their top line winger, Zach Hyman.

The forward was injured during the middle of last season’s Stanley Cup Finals run, sustaining an injury in the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Stars. Following his injury there he would be forced to undergo wrist surgery, sidelining him for the past six months or so.

After placing him on long term injured reserve to start the season, the Oilers moved him to their active roster on November 15. The day before, the Oilers made a pair of roster moves. They sent down rookie Isaac Howard to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.

As well, they placed veteran right-handed defenceman Troy Stecher on waivers. He did not clear for the club and was instead nabbed by the Toronto Maple Leafs — who are experiencing numerous key injuries themselves.

Oilers lose Stecher on waivers, takes parting shot

Presumably, the Oilers hoped to keep Stecher, who had found himself amongst trade speculation in recent weeks. Unfortunately, they were unable to and due to a trade not materializing, placed the defender on waivers for the purpose of reassigning him to the Condors. Although, knowing there was a tangible risk to placing him on waivers.

After joining the Maple Leafs, Stecher spoke with Maple Leafs reporter Mike Johnson from TSN. Johnson recalling the exchange on a recent episode of Overdrive said 

“I had a little conversation with Troy Stecher this morning, just about you know, hey, you’re walking into the fire here a little bit. Stecher told me he just left the fire," 

Given the Oilers play at the quarter mark into the season, he is not wrong. However, it always stings when a player takes a parting shot on his way out the door but even more so when it is a player who has been with the Oilers for a period of time.

Acquired at the 2023 NHL trade deadline, he played 79 games with the Oilers over the past three seasons. He scored three goals and six assists for nine points in the regular season. In the postseason he racked up eight games played for the team all last season.

Stecher is a 31 year old and veteran of 566 NHL games over his ten year career, playing for now his seventh organization. He has previously played for; The Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes (now Utah Mammoth), Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Oilers, and now Leafs.