Oilers’ Troy Stecher to have season-ending ankle surgery

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Troy Stecher will soon have season-ending ankle surgery, according to Oilersnation’s Jason Gregor.

Stecher has not played since the season finale on April 18, finishing with no points and four penalty minutes in a 5-1 loss at the Colorado Avalanche. The 30-year-old was believed by many to be a healthy scratch in the Stanley Cup Playoffs but has not consistently skated with the team during the first three rounds.

As the Oilers’ blue line has continued to struggle throughout these playoffs, many have wondered if Stecher could be a possibility to slide in on the blue line.

After all, he was acquired by the Oilers at the trade deadline along with a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. He was the final move by Edmonton general manager Ken Holland in the hopes of bolstering his blue line depth. That was obviously not the case, as Stecher has missed all 15 playoff games, and didn’t draw in for much action during the regular season.

During the regular season, Stecher recorded seven points (one goal, six assists) and a plus-9 rating in 54 games. However, he played in only seven games after coming to Edmonton, tallying two assists in that span and playing 16 minutes per game.

The Oilers have other options on the blue line that could slide in, including Philip Broberg, who now effectively becomes the team’s seventh defenceman in these playoffs. Broberg started the season in the NHL, playing in just 10 games before he was assigned to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors in December. He appeared in 49 AHL games with the Condors, racking up five goals and 38 points. He drew in for two games with the Oilers late in the regular season, averaging 17:05 in ice-time scoring two assists.

The British Columbia native has played 494 games across eight seasons in the NHL. Stecher has 110 points (19 goals, 91 assists) and a minus-21 rating playing mostly in a bottom-pairing role throughout his career. His best performance came in his rookie season when he had 24 points (three goals, 21 assists) in 71 games for the Vancouver Canucks in 2016-17. He has also recorded seven points (four goals, three assists) in 21 career playoff games.

The undrafted defenseman signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with Arizona last summer. He is expected to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The Oilers lost 5-3 at home to the Dallas Stars on Monday. They now trail the Western Conference Final 2-1 with Game 4 coming from Edmonton on Wednesday.