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Edmonton Oilers could lose Stecher for nothing after recent move

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Nov 14 2025, 7:03 pm
Edmonton Oilers could lose Stecher for nothing after recent move
Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers are prepared to lose veteran defenceman Troy Stecher for nothing in return.

The Oilers chose to place the 31-year-old blueliner on waivers this afternoon. All 31 other teams across the NHL will now have 24 hours to decide whether or not they want to put in a claim.

Stecher is in the final year of a contract that carries a cap hit of just $787,500. He’s suited up for six games with the Oilers this season, going pointless while averaging 13:37 in ice time. The 2024-25 campaign saw him suit up for 66 regular-season games with the Oilers, along with an additional eight in the playoffs.

The decision to put Stecher on waivers doesn’t come as a major surprise. The Oilers had been looking to trade the right-shot defenceman as a way to create more cap space to activate Zach Hyman off long-term injured reserve. There clearly wasn’t much of a market, if any, for Stecher, resulting in today’s decision to place him on waivers.

In another cap-related move, the Oilers announced that Ike Howard has been reassigned to the Bakersfield Condors. The 2024-25 Hobey Baker Award winner has struggled in his first NHL season, scoring just two goals and three points through 17 outings. Getting more ice time and reps at the AHL level should be beneficial for the 21-year-old’s development.

These moves suggest that Hyman is ready to rockĀ and could be in the lineup as soon as Saturday night versus the Carolina Hurricanes. That would be huge for the Oilers, who have had a disappointing season thus far, going 8-7-4 through their first 19 games.

Once Hyman is deemed good to go, he is expected to be placed on the wing of Connor McDavid, which will likely see Matt Savoie bumped down the lineup.

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