This in from the Edmonton Oilers, news that they are putting veteran d-man Troy Stecher on waivers and sending down forward Ike Howard to the minors. Howard does not have to clear waivers due to his rookie status.

The moves are being made to free up roster and cap space for the return of star forward Zach Hyman for Saturday’s game against Carolina.

Will the Oilers lose Stecher on waivers?

After all, Stecher is such a fierce competitor that Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer recently said Stecher would block shots in the nude if it meant he could play for the Oilers.

Stecher has not been in the minors since 2016-17 when he played the only four games of his pro career in the AHL for the Utica Comets. Since that time he’s played ten straight years in the NHL, 566 regular season and 29 playoff games in total for six different teams.

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My take

1. Why would a team grab Stecher? Because he’s an experienced veteran d-man and a great teammate who has played reliable third-pairing minutes at the NHL level for a decade. He’s also cheap at $787,500.

If a team has injuries and needs a gutsy, fast-skating and safe right shot third pairing option, Stecher is your man, which is why the Oilers picked him up in the first place.

2. Why would not team grab him on waivers? Because he’s not having a great year. Not even close.

He’s part of an Oilers d-man group where every single player has experienced a major drop in performance in 19 games. But Stecher is the weakest performing d-man of the bunch, below even the struggling pair of Darnell Nurse and Jake Walman.

He’s also a smaller d-man, so a bad fit looking for a Big Bobby Clobber shut-down type. And as safe as he is with the puck, he’s not any kind of attacker in the NHL. His play-making game is limited.

3. Stecher did a fine job last season as a Nurse whisperer, a player who meshed well with Darnell Nurse largely due to Stecher’s excellent reading of the game and ability to cover things off on defence. He accomplished this task in the heat of the playoffs, which is one reason a team might grab him.

4. If I had to bet, I’d bet that he won’t be taken. But I’d say it’s a 50/50 proposition. Why? There are a number of teams struggling with injuries and performance issues on defence, so it would be no surprise to see one of them make a small bet on Stecher. Perhaps he’ll avoid the AHL once again.

I could see a veteran coach or GM who is familiar with Stecher bringing him in to help change the culture on the team — in other words bringing in a vet who will battle like a demon, play safe hockey, and  forcefully back and fortify the message of the coach.

At the Cult of Hockey

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