A former Los Angeles Kings veteran defenseman, British Columbia native blue-liner Troy Stecher, was picked up by the Toronto Maple Leafs this weekend. The Maple Leafs officially announced they picked up the former Kings' defenseman Stecher off of waivers on Saturday on their X account.
Maple Leafs pick up former Los Angeles Kings veteran defenseman Troy Stecher from the waiver wire this fall
This news comes after the Edmonton Oilers placed Stecher on waivers on Saturday. The 31-year-old defenseman Stecher played a half dozen games for the Oilers early this regular season in the 2025-26 campaign, averaging just over 13 minutes of time on the ice per game this fall. Stecher didn't register any points for the Oilers in the six games he played early this season.
The Maple Leafs have been without defenseman Chris Tanev on the blue line for the past six games in the East due to an injury. Toronto making the move to add another defenseman to the blue line (making it nine defensemen now on the Maple Leafs' active roster this fall) could mean that the team is expecting Tanev to miss more time this season in the East.
Toronto is hoping that Stecher can help to add depth on the blue line and bolster a defensive group that has been struggling to keep pucks out of the net lately in the East. Stecher has played a couple of seasons in the Eastern Conference in the 2020s decade, playing two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings in the Atlantic Division in the early 2020s.
Stecher played 13 games in the regular season a few years ago for the Kings and former head coach Todd McLellan in the Pacific Division in the 2021-22 campaign in the West. He registered one goal and one total point for the Kings a few years ago in the 2021-22 regular season.
In the 2022 postseason, Stecher registered multiple goals and four total points in the Kings' first-round playoff loss in the West against the Oilers in four games that he suited up for McLellan and staff for LA in that series.