The Edmonton Oilers have a knack for keeping their pending UFAs.
In another July 1st move for the team, the Oilers have announced that they have re-signed defenseman Troy Stecher to a two-year contract worth an AAV of $787,500.
Stecher’s Story
The Oilers acquired Stecher at the trade deadline from the Arizona Coyotes (RIP) and a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Unfortunately for both the team and Stecher, an injury would limit him to only seven games of action and none in the playoffs.
Clearly Jeff Jackson and Kris Knoblauch saw enough from his short stint to want to keep him around for two more seasons in hopes that he can fill more of a role moving forward.
I think the Oilers would have loved to insert Stecher at some point during the playoffs as other blueliners weren’t playing well, but the injury kept him sidelined completely. With the loss of Vincent Desharnais today, the team needed to add to their depth on the back end.
Stecher is likely going to be the sixth or seventh defenseman on the team, but at that price point for two seasons it’s well worth the gamble.
