The Toronto Maple Leafs claimed veteran defenseman Troy Stecher off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. The move comes amid injuries to key players on the Maple Leafs' blue line. Stecher joins the team after playing six games with Edmonton this season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced the claim of defenseman Troy Stecher, 31, from the Edmonton Oilers off waivers on Saturday afternoon, just before their game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Stecher, from Richmond, British Columbia, was placed on waivers by Edmonton on Friday to accommodate the return of forward Zach Hyman from injury. In six games with the Oilers this season, Stecher averaged 13:37 of ice time but recorded no points. He is in the second year of a two-year, $1.58 million contract signed on July 1, 2024, with an annual average value of $787,500.
To accommodate Stecher, the Maple Leafs placed goaltender Anthony Stolarz on injured reserve retroactive to November 11, when he suffered an upper-body injury after one period against the Boston Bruins. Stolarz, who has six wins and an .884 save percentage in 13 games this season, is day-to-day according to head coach Craig Berube and cannot return until the earliest on November 19, ruling him out for Tuesday's game against the St. Louis Blues.
Stecher bolsters a Maple Leafs defense hampered by injuries, particularly with right-shot defenseman Chris Tanev on injured reserve. He provides a third right-handed option alongside Brandon Carlo—who missed Friday's practice for maintenance—and Philippe Myers. The team lacks depth in right-shot defenders in the AHL, where top option Matt Benning is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Stecher brings over 500 NHL games of experience across multiple teams, including the Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, and Calgary Flames. Last season with Edmonton, he played 66 regular-season games with seven points (three goals, four assists) and appeared in eight playoff games without recording a point.
It remains unclear if Stecher will debut against the Blackhawks, as Berube was set to address the media in Chicago at 4:45 p.m. ET. Without Carlo at practice, the projected pairings were Morgan Rielly with Philippe Myers, Simon Benoit with Jake McCabe, and Dakota Mermis with Oliver Ekman-Larsson.