Photo credit: Toronto Maple Leafs
Troy Stecher told TSN’s Mike Johnson that he ‘just left the fire’ in Edmonton, giving a little insight into how he views his move to Toronto.
When the Toronto Maple Leafs claimed Troy Stecher off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers it was a quiet move that was meant to help while the team navigates through injuries, while adding some much needed puck-moving on the back end.
What Troy Stecher actually said about ‘leaving the fire’ in Edmonton
But TSN’s Mike Johnson revealed that given how he framed Edmonton as ‘the fire,’ it’s fair to say Stecher doesn’t mind getting a reset in Toronto.
The defender was asked by Johnson how he feels walking ‘into the fire’ with Toronto, with Stecher noting he was just happy to get out:
I had a conversation with him about walking into the fire and he said I just left the fire.
5-1 loss against Buffalo, and there’s always pressure but they had to be thinking ‘How did we lose to those guys?
Then another not so great looking loss and even with Hyman back, it doesn’t look great.
At the time of Stecher’s comments, Edmonton had been leaking goals and taking some lopsided losses, adding even more pressure around a team that’s been to back-to-back Cup Finals.
Stecher’s last game with Edmonton was Oct. 30 where he skated against the Rangers. Since then, he has seen the team go 4-4-1 which draws quite the parallel to the Maple Leafs.
Why his ‘fire’ comment hits close to home for the Maple Leafs right now
Stecher’s line also lands for Leafs fans, because Toronto has its own version of ‘the fire’; constant scrutiny, big expectations, and a season that hasn’t gone to plan.
But unlike Edmonton, Toronto has dealt with a significant amount of injuries already this season and the team hasn’t been able to gel as much as they’d like.
With fans feeling let down by their self-admitted distaste for the new identity change, Stecher was walking into a very hostile environment for a new player, but has quickly started to win over those same fans with his playing style and heart.
The Maple Leafs are struggling in the standings and on the injury front, there’s no denying it. But their struggles have a lot to do with injuries and finding a lack of chemistry with certain players.
Whether you see Edmonton or Toronto as the bigger ‘fire’ right now, Stecher’s attitude and compete level are exactly what the Leafs keep saying they want. If he keeps playing the way he did in his debut, that waiver claim could quietly become one of Brad Treliving’s smartest moves of the season.
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Maple Leafs defenceman Troy Stecher says he ‘just left the fire’ in Edmonton
Did Troy Stecher walk ‘into a fire’ when coming to Toronto?