Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Troy Stetcher
The Edmonton Oilers have made several moves already as we approach the trade deadline, but according to insider David Pagnotta, they’re still on the hunt for some more depth on the blueline. And he says they’re even interested in a potential reunion with Troy Stecher. 

One name that I’ve heard that they are familiar with: Troy Stecher on the back end. The Toronto Maple Leafs are engaged in multiple talks involving Stech, and it’s a little bit of a complicated situation because of the waiver claim and all that, but he’s generated interest. And I wouldn’t be shocked if Edmonton would be interested in bringing him back.

Even though Pagnotta says he wouldn’t be shocked, that kind of move would be surprising to some. Stecher was squeezed out of the Oilers’ blueline earlier this season. So much so that they placed him on waivers, as Pagnotta alluded to, after he got into just six of their first 12 games, with just 13:37 of average ice time.

The Leafs claimed him, and Stecher immediately became one of the team’s most impactful defenseman. He was logging over 22 minutes of ice time most nights for quite some time, sometimes even as much as 24, 25 minutes TOI. 

Things have cooled off recently, however, and Stecher was even a healthy scratch for a game earlier this week, only getting back into the lineup when Oliver Ekman-Larsson was scratched for “roster management” reasons, as he, too, is on the verge of being traded. 

Stecher was first acquired by the Oilers at the 2024 trade deadline from the Arizona Coyotes, and then played in a third-pairing role for 66 games with the Oil last season, averaging 13:52 time on ice. This year, between the two teams, he has 12 points in 48 games, with a +1 rating and 55 blocked shots.  

Is Troy Stecher going back again from one ‘fire’ to another?

Could be an interesting “homecoming” in Edmonton, if that indeed comes to fruition. You might recall, when Stecher was originally claimed by Toronto earlier this season and was asked about “walking into the “fire” that was the Leafs team at that time (and is even more of a blaze now), Stecher responded, “I just left the fire” in Edmonton. 

“Troy Stecher told me ‘he just left the fire.'”@mike_p_johnson and the guys discuss the Oilers’ recent average performances.#LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/xFPeF0ImaR

— OverDrive (@OverDrive1050) November 18, 2025

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as they say, for Troy Stecher, perhaps yet again this season. 

Photo: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images