New Maple Leaf Troy Stecher comments on ‘leaving the fire’ in Edmonton
PUBLICATION
Tom Banks
November 19, 2025Â Â (8:09 PM)
Photo credit: Daily Faceoff
Troy Stecher was recently picked up by the Maple Leafs on waivers, and after departing the struggling Oilers, he revealed it was like ‘leaving the fire’.
The Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs both entered the 2025/26 NHL season with hopes of a Stanley Cup run, but to this point, they’ve been two of the most disappointing teams in the National Hockey League.
Recently, Toronto decided to make a major move, picking up veteran blue liner Troy Stecher from the Oilers on waivers, adding a much needed puck-moving blue liner to a group that’s struggled to do just that for years now.
Stecher comments on his departure from Edmonton
Unfortunately for Stecher, he goes from a struggling Oilers team to a Maple Leafs squad that have dropped five of their past six games, but according to analyst Mike Johnson, the veteran revealed that leaving Edmonton was like ‘leaving the fire’.
Troy Stecher told me ‘he just left the fire.’
On paper, leaving a struggling Oilers team under an immense amount of pressure may be ideal for some players, but unfortunately for Stecher, he’s arrived in arguably the toughest market in the NHL, and with their struggles, things aren’t going to get much easier for the talented blue liner.
It’s unclear if this was a direct shot at the Oilers or just a passing comment from the 30-year old, but it’s likely a comment that’s not going to go down well in Edmonton, and if the Maple Leafs can’t turn things around and be a Stanley Cup Playoffs team this season, it’s likely that he’s going to hear plenty from fans on the West Coast about the comments he made.
Previously on House Of Hockey
POLL
3 HOURS AGOÂ Â Â |Â Â Â 97 ANSWERS
New Maple Leaf Troy Stecher comments on ‘leaving the fire’ in Edmonton
Will the Maple Leafs make the post-season this year?