After making a big splash on yesterday by acquiring Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick from the Anaheim Ducks, the Oilers sights (both the actual team and the fans) turned towards another need – a right sided defenceman to shore up depth on that side.
One potential option in Sean Walker disappeared after he was traded to the Avalanche, but he was also someone who would certainly be considered more than a 7th defenceman.
It appears the Oilers have now found their man in Troy Stecher, who a year ago was traded at the deadline from the Arizona Coyotes to the Calgary Flames at the deadline. After heading back to Arizona this season, he has now been sent up North once again. This is the third year in a row he has been traded at the deadline, and this is also the third Western Canadian team he will play for in his NHL career, after starting his career in Vancouver.
(This marks the fourth draft pick the Oilers have traded in the last two days, but also is the second 7th round pick they have acquired back. Will Holland go for all 32 picks in the 7th round? I say he does it.)
Stecher is not a defenceman known for his offensive prowess. His career highs are 5 goals, 21 assists and 24 points, but since leaving Vancouver he hasn’t scored more than 3 goals, 11 assists or 14 points, all achieved last season, and he currently has 1 goal and 5 points in 47 games for the Coyotes. He did score 2 goals and 4 points in 4 playoff games for the Kings in 2021-22 against the Oilers though, and so perhaps that memory helped pave the way for this trade.
Despite the general lack of offence, Stecher is still a solid defenceman when it comes to the main role of that position. If you are into the fancy stats:
The map shows how well Stecher does on his right side in the defensive zone.
I have also heard from our friends over at the Win Column that Stecher “was good in Calgary” and that this is a “great acquisition”. So when the provincial rival’s fans, who had a front row to him last year, are applauding this move, well it must be a good one right?
The big question is if Stecher will get into a regular rotation, taking away time from either Vincent Desharnais or Cody Ceci, or if he is more a injury replacement option.
There is of course the third option that it seems a lot of Oilers fans are hoping for, which is that Ceci and his $3.25 million get traded next, especially given that he appears to have lost his top 4 spot to Desharnais.
With just under 26 hours left before the trade deadline, we won’t have to wait long to find out.
