Maple Leafs claim defenseman off waivers from Oilers

The Toronto Maple Leafs need a revamping on their blue line desperately and to just bring something new on the back end, they have dived into the waiver wire.

Announced by the team on Saturday afternoon, the Maple Leafs have claimed defenseman Troy Stecher off of waivers from the Edmonton Oilers.

Stecher quickly established himself as a reliable blueliner with Vancouver, playing four seasons from 2016–2020. He was known for his ability to log significant minutes, somewhat contribute offensively, and bring energy to the back end. The smaller defenseman was a fan favourite in VancouverOver those years, he recorded consistent production, including a career-high five goals in the 2019–20 season.

After leaving Vancouver, Stecher joined the Detroit Red Wings, where he continued to provide depth and veteran leadership. His NHL journey then took him through several teams, including the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames, and Arizona Coyotes, before landing with the Edmonton Oilers.

Across his career to date, Stecher has played over 560 NHL games, tallying 22 goals and 95 assists for 117 points. While not a high-scoring defenseman, his value lies in his versatility, defensive awareness, and ability to adapt to different teams through his career and that is kind of what the Leafs exactly need.

Stecher won't transform the Leafs blue line but he brings a dynamic that is not currently there a whole lot. Morgan Rielly has not been moving the puck well and Oliver Ekman-Larsson is likely the only defenseman able to remotely do that for Toronto -- now, Stecher should provide something of value to the Leafs.

If not, well he can go back on the waiver wire if it's a complete disaster.

Leafs general manager Brad Treliving is trying to make this team better as they are in a bad position with a bad NHL team and no prospects or draft picks to trade to get better. Picking up cheap veterans from the waiver wire might be one of the only triggers this team can pull to try to improve.

Through the first month of the season, the Leafs have a 8-8-2 record and sit seventh in the Atlantic Division.