The Maple Leafs conclude their Western road trip against a third consecutive team that Troy Stecher has played for. They are 2-for-2 so far.
CALGARY — The Toronto Maple Leafs were well aware of what this Western Canadian road trip meant for Troy Stecher. John Tavares revealed that the club discussed this being a "western tour" for the defenseman, who has previously been a part of the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Edmonton Oilers.
The Leafs improved to 2-for-2 on that tour, with Stecher scoring in the club’s 4-2 win against the Flames on Monday. The team is now looking to make it a perfect sweep when they visit an Oilers squad that placed Stecher on waivers back in November.
“Thank God Edmonton let him go,” Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll said of Stecher. “He’s such an unbelievable player. I really enjoy having him here. I trust him a lot back there, especially because he's really good with our goalie calls, too. He talks a lot, and I feel like he's smooth back there”.
Stecher filled a critical need for a right-handed defender as the Leafs dealt with injuries to their blue line. The team is still without Chris Tanev, who has been sidelined with a groin injury, while Brandon Carlo was unavailable for much of the beginning of Stecher’s tenure with Toronto. Regardless of who is available, Stecher has become a guaranteed top-six player as his revenge tour concludes in the city that waived him.
When asked about the uniqueness of taking on three former teams in a row, Stecher remained humble.
“I'm a suitcase, obviously. I don't know, it's unique,” Stecher said. “Obviously, going home to Vancouver, I started my career there and thought I'd play my whole career there. I’ve built relationships everywhere I've gone. I've enjoyed playing everywhere I went. I loved being a Canuck. I loved being a Flame. I loved being an Oiler. Now I love being a Maple Leaf, and that's where my pride and joy lies. I'm not oblivious to the memories that I have in the past and am very fortunate for those memories”.
Stecher has recorded three goals and eight assists in 37 games with the Leafs this season. He is averaging 20:14 of ice time with Toronto, a significant jump from the 13:37 he logged in six games with the Oilers earlier this year. In addition to his goal on Monday, Stecher led all Leafs with four shots on goal against the Flames.
“He made a nice move on the goalie to put it in, so you're excited for him,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said. “He doesn't score a lot, and it's a big goal at that time”.