The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a much-needed roster move.
Toronto’s blue line has struggled this season, and a large part is due to injuries and some players taking a step back. With that, the Maple Leafs claimed defenseman Troy Stecher off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers, according to Elliotte Friedman.
Stecher is in the final year of his two-year, $1.58 million deal, as he’s owed $787,500 this season. Stecher can be a solid puck-moving defenseman, which is a big need for the Maple Leafs.
Toronto has struggled moving the puck to its forwards, so the hope is that Stecher can help that out. But, he’s also a solid defensive defenseman who can fill a void on the Maple Leafs third-pairing.
The Maple Leafs’ blue line is without Chris Tanev, who’s injured, while Brandon Carlo, Philippe Myers, and Simon Benoit have all struggled this season. He could play on the third-pairing, replacing Dakota Mermis.
Stecher skated in 6 games this season with the Oilers. In his NHL career, he’s skated in 566 games, recording 22 goals and 95 assists for 117 points.
Tanev is Back Skating After Injury
Stecher could be a stopgap for the Maple Leafs until Tanev gets back.
The star defenseman got injured on Nov. 1 when he had to be stretchered off the ice after being hit by Matvei Michkov. Tanev had just returned from a concussion and was hit hard again, which resulted in him being stretchered off.
Yet, just a week after the injury, Tanev got back on the ice, which was a great sign to see for the Maple Leafs.
“Just progressing in the right direction, I’d say, more than anything,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said back on Nov. 8. “First time on the ice, just by himself.”
Carlo, meanwhile, said he spoke to Tanev often and the veteran defenseman is doing well.
“He’s doing well,” Carlo added. “Every time that I’ve talked to him since, he’s seemed just like himself, so that’s what you like to see. He’s got bright eyes and a bushy tail in the morning.”
Tanev is in the second year of his six-year, $27 million deal with the Maple Leafs. He’s skated in 8 games this season, recording 0 goals and 2 assists.
Maple Leafs Coach Wants Team to Stick Together
Toronto has lost four straight games as the Maple Leafs have been off to a slow start.
With Toronto struggling, Berube sent a message to the team after practice on Friday and wants them to stick together.
“ I thought the guys worked. They had pretty good energy out there, which is good,” Berube said. “Things aren’t good right now. A lot of times, you can come in today with practice, everybody’s hanging their heads and kind of going through the motions.
“I didn’t see that today, which is good. We had energy, guys worked hard, they did what we asked them to do, and just trying to reinforce things here. Just get going in the right direction, and you never know.”
The Maple Leafs will go on the road to play the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.
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