Oilers Should Not Trade Troy Stecher

It’s only November, but that doesn’t mean the word “trade” is completely foreign.

It was rumoured the other night that a current Edmonton Oiler could be on the move in Troy Stecher. Edmonton does, in fact, have a defencemen “problem”, but not like you would think. A crowded defensive corps is creating tough decisions for the coaching staff in the games ahead. I’m here to let it be known that solving this “problem” doesn’t start with sending Stecher elsewhere.

The rumour in question came from the all-knowing Elliotte Friedman who said that since Edmonton is working with extra defencemen right now, Stecher is a likely candidate to be moved. While he did say they have a few options, he is the top option for the Oilers to move. Despite Stecher’s exit potentially looming, there’s a case for the team to hold onto the wily veteran for the sake of their blue line.

Bigger Money for Oilers to Move

Aside from moving Stecher due to the inability to fit him into the lineup, there are obvious cap reasons as well. The Oilers are a team that likes to dance around that salary cap limit, so any money they can move out is a bonus. So, in saying that, why trade Stecher’s contract when there are other, more expensive options?

His cap hit is currently just above the league’s veteran minimum. For what Stecher brings to the ice and how he has performed so far with the team, that is a valuable contract. Getting rid of his contract brings the team minimal cap relief and down a depth defender. For a team with a lot of big contracts, this move doesn’t do much for them.

If the Oilers want some real spending money, they have other rostered players with higher cap hits that could be moved. Mattias Janmark is a possibility coming back from injury if he can’t find a place in the lineup. And if the team is eager to move a defenceman, they may have to look further up in the food chain and consider a larger deal with more moving parts.

Stecher Has Been Reliable

Leaving money out of it, there are hockey stats and intangibles we can look at for Stecher. He joined the team in the 2023-24 season as a depth piece for the playoffs. He’s never been a high-scoring defenceman like Evan Bouchard, but he’s always there battling in his team’s zone. In 66 games last season, he averaged a blocked shot per game and added 35 hits, all while playing third-pair minutes in nearly every game. He was only a minus-2 as well.

Fans also can’t forget how Stecher stepped up in last season’s playoffs and played some great hockey during their deep run. He was tough in the corners and strong on the puck, not giving any free passes to opposing forwards. He was a great option for Edmonton to have in big games, and could continue to be if they keep him.