Ex-Vancouver Canucks Defenseman Placed on Waivers and GM Patrik Allvin Has Major Decision to Make
Photo credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images
A former Vancouver Canucks defenseman has landed on the National Hockey League's waiver wire just weeks after being made available for trade by his club.
While the Vancouver Canucks have dealt with their own struggles this season, partly due to injuries, their Western Canadian rivals, the Edmonton Oilers, didn't have a great start to the 2025-26 campaign as they seek their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
Edmonton currently sits tied for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference and as Kris Knoblauch's group gears up for the return & season debut of Zach Hyman on Saturday, the team was forced to place a veteran defenseman and former Vancouver Canucks on the waiver wire.
Former Vancouver Canucks defenseman placed on NHL's waiver wire
In a press release on Friday morning, the Edmonton Oilers announced that they've assigned forward Isaac Howard to the American Hockey League and have placed former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Troy Stecher on waivers.
"The team placed defenceman Troy Stecher on waivers. The 31-year-old has appeared in six games this season, averaging 13:37 time on ice with three shots on goal and eight penalty minutes." the Oilers said.
Stecher, a native of Richmond, British Columbia, is in his third season with the Edmonton Oilers after being acquired by the club in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes in March of 2024.
Despite being limited to a third pairing role on most nights, Stecher has provided the Oilers with some stability on the blue line, but has also found himself in the press box on occasion too, leading some to some questions about his future in the Alberta capital.
Earlier this month, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the Edmonton Oilers have essentially made Troy Stecher available for trade given that the club has some extra defenseman on their roster and there is some interest from teams around the league.
"Well they have a lot of players coming back from injury right? Hyman can come back, Janmark can come back, Regula can come back. One of the names that's definitely going around there is Troy Stecher and Stecher is not playing tonight in our late game against Chicago. He's the extra D and they have a couple extra right now." Friedman said.
He added, "Now, it doesn't necessarily have to be Stecher, Ron, like I think the Oilers have considered a bunch of things, but he is definitely one of the people who is being considered. I've heard there is some interest and I think the Oilers are trying to find him a soft landing."
He added, "Now, it doesn't necessarily have to be Stecher, Ron, like I think the Oilers have considered a bunch of things, but he is definitely one of the people who is being considered. I've heard there is some interest and I think the Oilers are trying to find him a soft landing."
While it isn't clear if the Vancouver Canucks are among the teams interested in Troy Stecher, he wouldn't be a bad option for Patrik Allvin to pick up, either on waivers or via trade, given the injury to Derek Forbort and it would allow them to send Tom Willander to the AHL for some more seasoning & to play top pairing minutes.
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