Stecher poses in a hospital bed while his Oilers teammates continue on

Edmonton Oilers defenceman Troy Stecher appears to be in good spirits after undergoing ankle surgery.

The surgery comes as no surprise to Oilers fans, as Sports 1140’s Jason Gregor reported on Tuesday that he was set to undergo the operation in the near future.

Following the procedure, his fiancé, Emma Vincent, uploaded a photo of Stecher posing in his hospital bed at the Charlotte Surgery Center in North Carolina.

Defenceman Troy Stecher is no longer an option for #Oilers. He underwent ankle surgery according to his significant other. pic.twitter.com/2XnvDE7Ne2

— Derek Van Diest (@DerekVanDiest) May 31, 2024

“Thank you to Dr. Anderson and his team for a successful operation,” she captioned the photo.

Edmonton is Stecher’s sixth NHL stop, as the 30-year-old blueliner has also played with the Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, and Calgary Flames.

The Richmond, BC native was the final addition general manager Ken Holland made to the Oilers roster ahead of the trade deadline. While the Oilers compete in the Western Conference Final, needless to say, Stecher’s season is over.

Stecher’s impact with the Oilers ended up being rather insignificant as he struggled to get into the lineup. Following the trade, he played in just nine regular-season games and had yet to suit up in the playoffs. It’s unclear exactly when or how his injury occurred, as his last game came back on April 18 versus the Colorado Avalanche.

Despite failing to play in any postseason games prior to his injury, Stecher was a nice depth option. The Oilers’ blue line has struggled at points during this playoff run, which resulted in Vincent Desharnais sitting Game 5 as a healthy scratch in favour of Philip Broberg.

The good news for Stecher is that by having the surgery now, he should have plenty of time to heal up for the 2024-25 season. Where he will be playing remains to be seen, however, as he is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

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