The Edmonton Oilers re-signed defenceman Troy Stecher to a two-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $787,500 during the NHL offseason. The 30-year-old was acquired at the 2024 trade deadline from the Arizona Coyotes and appeared in seven regular season games for Edmonton, notching a pair of assists.
With the recent departure of Cody Ceci, the Oilers now find themselves with a shrunken defensive core. With that being said, Ceci's departure poses unique opportunities to players who found themselves on the back burner last season.
Oilers fans will well remember Stetcher's appearance in the 2024 playoffs where he found himself making an immediate impact on the Oilers blue-line, asserting himself as tenacious and menacing force during the Vancouver series. Although fans got a glimpse at what Stetcher can offer, this year might be the most crucial one of his career.
Stecher will be applying for the right side second pairing job alongside Nurse at training camp this season. The Oilers could invite competition via a PTO, but as it stands the No. 2 right side job comes down to Stecher versus Emberson.
Stecher's advantages include experience in the NHL and the 49 minutes he played with Nurse last season after coming over at the deadline. The pairing, via Natural Stat Trick, owned positive numbers in real and underlying numbers in that short time span. That isn't a guarantee Stecher wins the job with Nurse, but it probably means the veteran gets the first shot at the role. The third pairing right side job is also open, with Brown being the main competition for either Stecher or Emberson.
Heading into training camp, Stetcher has his eyes set on cracking the Oilers starting roster in order to cement himself as a regular player in the Oilers lineup.
source: The Athletic
What the Edmonton Oilers can expect from defenceman Troy Stecher
POLL |
Will Stetcher crack the starting roster? |
Yes | 106 | 60.2 % |
No | 70 | 39.8 % |
List of polls |
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