Beloved former Canucks defenceman sounds very open to Vancouver reunion
He was the one who got away.
Even though he never turned into a star, former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Troy Stecher has always been beloved by the fan base.
The Richmond, B.C. native represented a feel-good, underdog story, after the undersized defenceman was signed as a college free agent by the Canucks back in 2016.
After joining the Canucks, Stecher held down a top-four role for multiple seasons before holding down a spot on the third pairing for a 2019-20 Vancouver team that made the postseason.
Then, Stecher was one of four key Canucks players who departed the organization during a dreadful 2020 offseason.
Since leaving the Canucks, the 32-year-old has carved out a career as an NHL journeyman, suiting up for six different teams since leaving the Canucks.
He now enters the 2026 offseason as a free agent. But, after all these years, would he welcome a return to Vancouver?
“Yeah, there would always be interest, especially with the guys in place now,” Stecher said on the Donnie and Dhali show Tuesday.
“I have a lot of respect for obviously Hank and Danny. Manny [Malhotra], too, was one of my coaches when I was in Vancouver. [Ryan Johnson] helped recruit me out of North Dakota. So, I’m familiar with all those guys and couldn’t have more respect for them.”
“So, obviously, that’d be an opportunity I’d be pretty excited about if it got to that point.”
Troy Stecher spent the first four years of his NHL career with the Canucks. (Anne-Marie Sorvin/Imagn Images)
By all accounts, Stecher’s time in Toronto last season was a success. After being claimed off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers, the veteran defenceman stepped into the Leafs’ lineup and held his own in a top-four role. He had the third-best shot attempt differential among regular Leafs defencemen, trailing only Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Morgan Rielly.
He’s continued to prove that, despite being undersized, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound defenceman can still play.
Not only that, but his Canucks fandom hasn’t seemed to dissipate.
“Even from afar, watching the whole process, you’re kind of hopeful that it would happen,” Stecher said when asked about the Canucks new management regime.
“I think at the end of the day, you just want people that care about your program in charge, and I think that’s what the Vancouver Canucks have right now is four men that really deeply care about the organization.”
“They’re in great hands.”
A reunion between Stecher and the Canucks could make sense. The Canucks need another defenceman on the right side who can push Victor Mancini for NHL minutes, considering that the youngster didn’t really force himself into the lineup last year.
Vancouver could also use a positive, veteran leader in the locker room. And, based on how glowingly Maple Leafs players and coaches spoke about him last season, Stecher still has that in spades.