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Oilers Defenseman Drawing Trade Interest Amid Slow Start: Report

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Manuel Meza | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 6:10 PM ET

The Edmonton Oilers started the 2025-26 NHL season with a record of 6-4-3, currently positioning themselves in second place in the Pacific Division with 15 points after 13 games.

Kris Knoblauch's team won 3-2 against the Chicago Blackhawks (5-4-3) on Saturday at Rogers Place. Their next game will take place this Monday at the Enterprise Center when they face the St. Louis Blues (3-7-2).

Among the most productive players so far are Connor McDavid (17 points in 13 games), Leon Draisaitl (16 points, 13 games), and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (13 points, 13 games).

On the other hand, among those who have participated the least are Alec Regula with only two games, Curtis Lazar with three games, and defenseman Troy Stecher with only six appearances. A recent report indicates that the latter could change teams sooner rather than later.

Edmonton Oilers Exploring Trade Market for Defenseman Troy Stecher

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Stecher, 31, is attracting trade interest. The fact that Edmonton is about to recover several injured players makes the player's departure more possible.

"Well, they got a lot of players coming back from injury, right? Like, there’s (Zack) Hyman can come back, and (Mattias) Janmark can come back. (Alec) Regula can come back," said Friedman.

"And one of the names that’s definitely going around there is Troy Stecher. And Stecher is not playing tonight in our late game against Chicago. He’s one of the extra D, and they have a couple extra right now."

Friedman acknowledged that it is not necessarily decided that Stetcher will leave, but he assured that it is a scenario being considered by the Oilers' front office.

"Now it doesn’t necessarily have to be Stecher. Like, I think they’re, Oilers, have considered a bunch of things. But he is definitely one of the people who is being considered. I’ve heard there is some interest, and I think the Oilers are trying to find him a soft landing," he said.

Stecher is currently in the second and final year of his contract with Edmonton, with a cap hit of $787,500.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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