Troy Stecher Gets In Dig At Oilers Before Maple Leafs Debut

Troy Stecher is the newest arrival to the Toronto Maple Leafs as they try to turn around a troubling start to the season. He was claimed on waivers by the Buds on Saturday after the Edmonton Oilers put him up for grabs on the wire. He arrived in time to play a part in the team’s 3-2 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues Tuesday night.

But before stepping into the fray for a struggling team on a five-game losing streak going into the contest, the 31-year-old veteran got in a little dig at his old team. TSN analyst and former NHLer Mike Johnson relayed the story on Overdrive:

"Troy Stecher told me 'he just left the fire.'"@mike_p_johnson and the guys discuss the Oilers' recent average performances.#LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/xFPeF0ImaR

— OverDrive (@OverDrive1050) November 18, 2025

“I had a little conversation with Troy Stecher this morning just about ‘Hey, you’re walking into the fire here a little bit here [in Toronto],’ and he said, ‘I just left the fire.’” Johnson said.

Troy Stecher throws shade at Oilers before Leafs debut

Wallowing around at just a game over .500 with some disturbing losses of late, the Oilers are having as difficult a start to the season as the Maple Leafs. And make no mistake, the pressure in Edmonton is no less on the Oil than it is in Toronto for the Buds.

Stecher arrived on the scene with the Oilers late in the 2023-24 season, and last year played in 66 games, recording seven points with a plus/minus rating of -2. This season, he was a healthy scratch 11 times in Edmonton’s first 19 games before going on waivers.

He became one of the scapegoats when roster space was needed once some bodies returned from injury. The Leafs were only too happy to oblige them by claiming the 10-year vet. Toronto has some injury issues of their own to deal with on the blueline, not the least of which is the absence of Chris Tanev. Brandon Carlo was the latest to head to injured reserve, with a lower-body injury.

Stecher has ‘competitive’ debut with Leafs

Head coach Craig Berube was happy with Stecher’s performance in his Leafs’ debut.

“Good game. Skated, moved the puck well, and was competitive. Those are all of the things that we knew of him. I really liked his feet tonight. I thought he was aggressive and moved his feet really well.”

Stecher was called on for 13:31 of ice time in his first time in the Blue & White. He registered a plus/minus rating of +1, with one hit and one shot on goal. And of course, one verbal shot at the Oilers.

More must-reads:

• Canadiens Prospects Help Improve Area Of Weakness
• Buyer’s Remorse? Devils Should Lessen Markstrom’s Workload
• Habs Daily: Suzuki Trade, Tomasino On Waivers, Hutson