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Troy Stecher

Oilers Looking To Move Troy Stecher

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In today’s episode of Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet referenced Troy Stecher, that a move could be happening soon. According to Friedman, Stecher and the Oilers could be working on a resolution, as he has not been in the lineup often, and looking for a new opportunity. 

With Alec Regula activated from IR earlier today, the news is not necessarily a surprise. Rumblings about the Oilers and their logjam between the likes of Regula, Stecher, and Ty Emberson have gone on since last month. Now, Friedman’s comments indicate Edmonton has youth in their best interest, as Stecher, 31, could be moving on, currently in his third season on the team. 

Originally undrafted out of North Dakota, the British Columbia native has carved out a very respectable 566 game career to this point, despite being on the smaller side at 5’10”. While many in that mold have a more offensive game full of polarizing play, Stecher has never posted more than 24 points in a season, a career high set back as a rookie in 2016-17. His steady, dependable two-way game has been enough of a commodity that he has not appeared in a single AHL game since that rookie season nine years ago. 

Acquired in 2024 by Edmonton from Arizona, in exchange for just a fourth-round pick, Stecher played in 66 games last season, but now the club has favored more size along with youth, in the form of Regula. A pending free agent with a cap hit of just $787k, the Stecher market could be interesting. It is hard to imagine that rebuilding teams, where he could be a viable top-six defender, would have much interest in the veteran. He is a more bona-fide seventh-defender at this point, a role similar blueliners north of 30 his mold could envy, being on a team such as the Oilers. Perhaps the Red Wings could be interested in a reunion, with their promising start despite a thin backend. An injury-ridden team such as the Devils or Canucks, who Stecher began his career with, could also have interest. His sub-$1MM cap hit is certainly an asset. 

Regardless, GM Stan Bowman has a decision to make, and hopefully the respected veteran finds a more preferable role soon, whether with Edmonton, or elsewhere. 

Oilers Receiving Interest In Troy Stecher

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The Oilers should be getting some help on the injury front over the next couple of weeks with Zach Hyman, Mattias Janmark, and Alec Regula all potentially returning.  That means a roster crunch will soon be coming and when Hyman comes off LTIR, they’ll have to get back to a cap-compliant roster, meaning moves will have to be made as they’re nearly $2.8MM over the cap ceiling, per PuckPedia.

It appears that one of the possibilities to be dealt is defenseman Troy Stecher.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (video link) that there appears to be some interest in the veteran blueliner while Edmonton is open to finding him a soft landing where he’d have a chance to stay on an NHL roster.

The 31-year-old is in his third season with the Oilers and has been in and out of the lineup in the early going this season.  Stecher has made six appearances so far in 2025-26 and has been held off the scoresheet while picking up three blocked shots in a little under 14 minutes a night of playing time.

Over his career, Stecher has played in 566 games over parts of ten seasons, generally playing on the third pairing.  He has 22 goals and 95 assists in those appearances along with 629 blocks and 562 hits in 17:29 per game of ice time.  At this stage of his career, he might be better off in more of a sixth or seventh role where his minutes would be a bit more limited but after playing 66 games in 2024-25, he can still be a regular when called upon.

Stecher is in the final season of his contract, one that carries a $787.5K cap charge and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.  Given their looming roster crunch, Edmonton likely won’t be able to command a significant return if they decide to move Stecher and not a different defender but even if it’s a late-round pick in return, it would be an asset for a player they’d otherwise be likely to lose on waivers when their injured players return.

Oilers Could Look To Trade Defenseman

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In today’s episode of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet raised an intriguing point: The Edmonton Oilers have a glut on the backend, and the team could look to move someone out. With Jake Walman returning from injured reserve, the Oilers have eight defensemen worthy of NHL minutes, and more in the AHL who are viable call up options.  

Although fans may speculate on a bigger move, having locked up the likes of Walman and Mattias Ekholm for the future, a fairly less ground-breaking deal could be in order. Ty Emberson, Alec Regula, and Troy Stecher stand as an abundance of depth right handed blueliners, and perhaps, one of them could be on the way out at some point. 

If the Oilers emphasize size and youth, Stecher, 31, could be worth monitoring as a possible trade candidate especially with an expiring contract. However, at a sub-$1MM cap hit, the veteran brings real value from the right side and can fill in anywhere in the lineup when needed. Meanwhile, Emberson, at just 25, comes in at $1.3MM through next season, still affordable, but a name which has floated around in the past. Acquired from San Jose in the Cody Ceci deal, Emberson has been a solid performer, bringing some needed youth to their defense corps. However, if the Oilers seek to bring in a contributing player rather than a more minute return, it may come at the cost of the Wisconsin native. 

Finally, Regula is currently on injured reserve, but pending return, could be a trade option simply as he has made the least impact with Edmonton of the bunch. The 25-year-old was claimed off waivers last season, and did not play due to injury, but has skated in two games so far. All things considered, Regula is likely a step behind Stecher and Emberson in the organization, unless the team values his size and sees the former standout Red Wings prospect as a developmental project. GM Stan Bowman seems to like the former Blackhawk, especially as he earned a two-year two-way deal last summer despite not playing at all in the organization. 

The Oilers have two veterans with ample NHL experience playing in AHL Bakersfield, Cam Dineen and Josh Brown, both capable players if called upon. Therefore, with all of this in mind, it will be interesting to see what Bowman does when Regula returns, and if the team could seek a forward in return for one of their extra defensemen. 

Oilers Notes: Bowman, Ekholm, Hyman

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In an interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Edmonton Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman, spoke highly of the Oilers’ two defensive additions throughout the regular season, John Klingberg and Jake Walman. Bowman had always believed that the Oilers’ defense was the most glaring issue, saying, “That was something that struck me early in the season.”

The relationship between the Oilers and Klingberg began in November. Bowman articulated that Edmonton needed a capable puck-moving defenseman to play behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and that was the reason the team went after Klingberg. Bowman said, “We started talking to him in November, knowing he wouldn’t be back (from injury) for a while. But that was the style of player that I thought would really complement our group. Of course, you think of the defensive side, but I thought we defended well as a team.”

That was largely the same reasoning he used for pursuing Walman at the trade deadline. LeBrun quoted Bowman saying, “Walman is along the same lines, because I believed in the group we had on the defensive side. I felt if we could add to it, this was sort of the look that I was hoping would come to be.” The two have been instrumental in the Oilers’ run to the Western Conference Finals, combining for seven points in 27 games with a +19 rating, averaging more than 19 minutes of ice time per game.

More notes from the Oilers:

  • Staying on Edmonton’s blue line, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic recognized the strong play of defenseman Troy Stecher and the harsh reality eventually coming his way. In five games this postseason, Stecher has averaged an exceptional 100.0% on-ice save percentage at even strength, allowing Edmonton to play him without hesitation. Unfortunately, given the other pieces on the blue, Stecher will be the one removed from the blue line once Mattias Ekholm returns. Still, thanks to his play over the last several games, the Oilers won’t hesitate to put him back in the lineup should there be another defensive injury.
  • As noted in a new article from Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com, one player who’s stepped up his game in the postseason after a difficult regular season is Zach Hyman. In the article, which our readers are encouraged to read in its entirety, he blamed concussion issues and the fact that he wasn’t considered for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off as the reason he scored half as many goals as he did during the 2023-24 campaign. Still, he’s been phenomenal in the postseason, scoring five goals and 11 points in 14 games with 109 hits.

Oilers Notes: Hyman, Arvidsson, Stecher

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Oilers goal-scorer Zach Hyman will return to the lineup tonight against the Blue Jackets after missing five games with an undisclosed injury, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Hyman will return to his usual top-line role alongside Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and take first power-play unit reps, Brar adds. The 32-year-old was having an incredibly tough time before the injury, limited to three goals and eight points in 20 games after scoring a career-high 54 goals last season.

He was shooting at just 5.9%, a trend that will surely reverse as the season progresses, given his 13.4% career average. The Oilers went 3-2-0 without Hyman in the lineup and sit fifth in the Pacific Division with a 13-10-2 record, although they could leapfrog the Flames for fourth place tonight if they win against Columbus and Calgary drops its game against the Blues.

Here’s more out of Edmonton:

  • Viktor Arvidsson has already missed nearly a month with a similarly undisclosed injury. After being listed as day-to-day for weeks, head coach Kris Knoblauch said today that he’s been downgraded to indefinite (via Brar). Knoblauch said Arvidsson’s injury “hasn’t been healing as we hoped,” not a promising proclamation for a player who only had five points in 16 games prior to getting hurt. He’s on regular injured reserve, but after missing tonight’s game, he’ll be eligible for a retroactive LTIR placement if Edmonton needs some additional short-term salary cap flexibility.
  • Defenseman Troy Stecher will be on hand against Columbus after leaving Tuesday’s loss to the Golden Knights after taking a Tomáš Hertl shot to the ear, reports Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic. The 30-year-old depth piece has three points in his last four games and has slowly become more of a regular fixture for Edmonton, last serving as a healthy scratch on Nov. 3. In 21 appearances this season, he has three assists with a -3 rating. He’s averaging 14:46 per game, and the Oilers are controlling 50% of shot attempts with him on the ice at even strength.

Oilers Pathway Toward Cap Compliancy

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If their cap struggles weren’t already bad enough this summer, the Edmonton Oilers were struck a significant blow last week when the St. Louis Blues signed defenseman Philip Broberg to a two-year, $9.16MM offer sheet and forward Dylan Holloway to a two-year, $4.58MM offer sheet. Oilers’ general manager Stan Bowman has until tomorrow to match both or either respective offer but could allow both to walk and receive draft compensation in return.

PuckPedia gave a solid breakdown of how Edmonton could find its way back to salary cap compliance after the separate trades that brought Vasily Podkolzin to Alberta and sent Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks. The salary cap website asserts that if the Oilers place Evander Kane on long-term injured reserve to start the year, send down Troy Stecher and Derek Ryan, and call up prospect Matt Savoie to the NHL, they will be compliant to start the 2024-25 NHL season if they choose to match both offer sheets.

All things considered — this is a decent scenario for Edmonton. Savoie gives the team a low-cost option to plug into the top six and allows the team some flexibility with newcomers Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson on the wing. By moving either Skinner or Arvidsson down to the third line, Holloway could play the wing on the team’s fourth line while moving Mattias Janmark to fourth-line center in this scenario.

The team would still have seven available defensemen to choose from to start the year and Stecher likely would have been light on playing time regardless. Josh Brown and Ty Emberson could split time based on matchups leaving Edmonton’s only glaring hole at the fourth-line center position.

Edmonton is not necessarily out of the woods just yet as it’s uncertain when Kane will ultimately return from his offseason surgery. It’s expected he will be placed on LTIR to begin the season which will keep him out of the lineup for the first 10 games and 24 days of the 2024-25 NHL season. Once the season begins, however, the Oilers will again be in a situation where tough decisions must be made. The Oilers could still allow both players to walk giving them just over $6MM to start the year after placing Kane on LTIR.

It will be interesting to see how aggressive GM Bowman is in bringing back two pieces that haven’t had much opportunity with the organization up to this point. All in all, even with clearing Ceci’s salary and having a clear pathway toward cap compliance to start the year —  it will take some time for Edmonton to exit this precarious scenario.

Oilers Sign Jeff Skinner, Mattias Janmark, Troy Stecher

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6:30 p.m.: Edmonton is also seeing Mattias Janmark return on a three-year, $4.35MM contract, per Seravalli. It’ll cost them $1.45MM against the cap through 2026-27. The Swede is coming off a career-worst year offensively, limited to only four goals and 12 points in 75 games, but was a key part of an Edmonton penalty kill that clicked at 94.3% in the postseason. CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal adds that depth defenseman Troy Stecher is returning on an undisclosed deal. Edmonton later confirmed Stecher’s deal is a two-year, $1.575MM pact ($787.5K cap hit).

5:49 p.m.: The Oilers are expected to add winger Jeff Skinner in free agency, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports. It’s a one-year deal worth $3MM, Seravalli adds.

Skinner, 32, became a UFA after the Sabres bought out the final three seasons of the eight-year, $72MM pact he signed back in 2019. He’s had varying results throughout the contract, which carried a $9MM cap hit and was coming off a middling 24 goals and 46 points in 74 games in 2023-24.

However, he did become one of the higher-ceiling options available on the market upon his buyout. That’s because he’s got a claim to fame that few other UFA wingers have – a 40-goal season under his belt. He’s also only one year removed from a career-high 82 points and +15 rating in 79 games with Buffalo.

And what better way to unlock that potential than putting him into an Oilers top six, potentially on a line centered by Leon Draisaitl and fresh free-agent add Viktor Arvidsson on his right flank? He immediately jumps out as one of the better value signings of the day, especially after outproducing Evander Kane (who he’ll likely challenge for second-line duties) in slightly fewer minutes on a worse team.

Skinner won’t be a major defensive upgrade on whoever he pushes down the lineup. He’s not a terribly physically involved player and has consistently owned poor individual chance-prevention metrics. But he does have a knack for finishing, especially at 5-on-5, helping balance out an Edmonton offense that can occasionally be too power-play reliant.

With Skinner on the books, Edmonton still has roughly $2.75MM in projected cap space remaining, per CapFriendly.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Oilers’ Troy Stecher Out For Season With Ankle Injury, Requires Surgery

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While Oilers defenseman Troy Stecher hasn’t played in the postseason, it was widely assumed he’s been a healthy scratch. That isn’t the case, as Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 reports he’s out with an ankle injury and will require offseason surgery.

Stecher, 30, has sparingly practiced with the team since last dressing in their regular-season finale against the Avalanche over a month ago. The Oilers downgraded from a fourth-round pick to a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft to acquire him from the Coyotes at the trade deadline for added injury insurance on the blue line.

Unfortunately, he won’t get a chance to play in his first playoff contest since 2022 with the Kings. The Vancouver-area native had two assists and a +4 rating in seven games with Edmonton after the trade while averaging 16 minutes per game, proving he would have been a reliable option to insert into the playoff lineup if necessary.

It’s not good timing for offseason surgery for Stecher, who’s a pending unrestricted free agent after completing the $1.1MM deal he signed last summer. If he’s able to land another NHL deal and build on his 494-game career, he likely won’t sign until closer to training camps after rehabbing from his procedure – unless the Oilers opt to bring him back next season and re-sign him before July 1.

Stecher’s absence leaves 22-year-old Philip Broberg as the top option to enter the lineup if Edmonton loses a defenseman to injury or suspension. The 6’3″, 200-lb Swede was the eighth overall pick in 2019 and spent most of the season on assignment to AHL Bakersfield, where he excelled with 38 points and a +11 rating in 49 contests. He’s made 10 postseason appearances for the Oilers across their 2022 and 2023 runs but averaged just 6:31 per game.

Oilers Acquire Troy Stecher

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The Oilers have added depth defender Troy Stecher and a 2024 seventh-round pick from the Coyotes, per a team release. Edmonton is sending a 2027 fourth-round pick to Arizona in return.

Stecher, 29, has now been dealt at the trade deadline for the third consecutive season. He was picked up by the Kings from the Red Wings in 2021-22 and was sent from the Coyotes to the Flames last season before returning to Arizona on a one-year, $1.1MM contract last summer.

Edmonton is absorbing all of Stecher’s cap hit. They now have just over $1MM in deadline space with one open roster spot, so, as Derek Van Diest of NHL.com reports, GM Ken Holland is likely done with his pre-deadline moves.

In Stecher, the Oilers pick up a veteran right-shot d-man to stabilize their group of depth defenders. He had one goal, five points and a +5 rating while averaging 18:26 per game in 47 contests with the Coyotes.

With nearly 500 games of NHL experience, Stecher will likely battle Vincent Desharnais for a spot on Edmonton’s second pairing, flanking Darnell Nurse. While Desharnais is less of a household name, he’s been considerably more effective at controlling possession quality this season, posting a 56.7 xGF% compared to Stecher’s 47.3 xGF%, per Hockey Reference. In all likelihood, Stecher will factor in as the Oilers’ extra defender when the postseason begins, barring injuries.

Stecher’s departure (and the potential departure of Mathew Dumba) means more ice time for the Coyotes’ less-tested complement of right-shot defenders down the stretch as they face another season without postseason play. Sean Durzi is a natural right shot but has been playing his off-side on a pairing with Michael Kesselring, but could shift back to the right on a different pairing down the stretch. 2019 11th overall pick Victor Söderström, who’s played just once in the NHL this season, is waiting in the wings in the minors and could get called up to shoulder some minutes, too.

Stecher will be a UFA at the season’s end. While the Oilers have just one pick in the first four rounds of the 2024 draft after parting with their first-rounder for Adam Henrique yesterday, they now have five in the final three rounds after picking up a seventh-rounder from Arizona today, which originally belonged to the Bruins.

Former NHL defenseman Jordan Schmaltz was first to report that Stecher was heading to Edmonton.

Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic was first to report that the Oilers were parting with a fourth-round pick, while Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report that a seventh-round pick was heading to Edmonton.

Central Notes: Zaitsev, Murphy, Athanasiou, Stecher

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Struggling to keep their defensive core intact through multiple injuries this season, the Chicago Blackhawks could see the return of Nikita Zaitsev rather soon, as the veteran defenseman returned to practice today (X Link). Unfortunately, as highlighted in the same report, Chicago will have to wait for the return of Connor Murphy, who has recovered slower than expected from his lower-body injury.

Although keeping the likes of Zaitsev and Murphy in the lineup each night would ultimately make the Blackhawks a more competitive team this season, they are still in the middle of their rebuild, without having any intention of competing in the Western Conference anytime soon. Being that it is never positive when a player gets injured, it becomes a touch more bittersweet in Chicago as the team can call up prospects to test their mettle at the top level without much pressure on their shoulders.

This season alone, the Blackhawks have been able to graduate defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Louis Crevier to the NHL level, and both have shown flashes of being regular parts of the lineup moving forward. Nevertheless, especially in the early years of their rebuild, Chicago will have to balance calling prospects up too early and giving them meaningful minutes at the professional level, meaning veterans such as Murphy and Zaitsev still hold a valuable spot on the active roster.

Other Central notes:

  • Staying in Chicago, Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Blackhawks reports that although forward Andreas Athanasiou has recently been a full participant in practice, there is still no timetable for his return. Signed to a two-year, $8.5MM contract extension at the end of last season, Athanasiou has only mustered 11 games for the Blackhawks this season after suffering a lower-body injury in early November. With one more year on his contract after this season, Athanasiou still has plenty of time to recover from his lost season to recoup some value potentially.
  • Moving southwest, Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports is reporting that the Arizona Coyotes will see the return of defenseman Troy Stecher tonight in their game against the Montreal Canadiens. Stecher has missed the last 13 games for the Coyotes after suffering a lower-body injury on January 20th. Choosing to return to Arizona after a trade deadline deal with the Calgary Flames last year, Stecher has suited up in 42 games for the Coyotes this season, scoring one goal and five points while averaging 18:41 minutes a night.

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