The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to have settled on Troy Stecher for the last spot on their blue line after he turned in a strong camp and kept making the kind of case that is hard to ignore.
The competition on defence was the real fight in camp this summer, not the top six. Darren Raddysh arrived as a major addition, while Emil Andrae came in through a trade and Nick Blankenburg joined on a PTO. But with the flurry of moves Toronto made on Thursday, the picture has started to clear, and Stecher now looks like the defender who has moved to the front of the line.
That conclusion fits the way camp has played out and the way the roster cuts have fallen. Stecher lined up next to Oliver Ekman-Larsson for the Maple Leafs’ “A” squad against Ottawa and had a strong showing, bringing the same edge and commitment that made him such a quick fit with the team last season.
His usage also tells the story. Stecher has logged the third-most penalty-kill time among Maple Leafs defenders, trailing only Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev, the two shutdown pieces at the top of that group.
The veteran has backed it up with real work, too. Against Ottawa, he finished plus-two, played more than 19 minutes, fired three shots, blocked one, and delivered two hits without coughing up the puck once. Against Montreal, he added one shot, two blocks, and three hits in more than 21 minutes.
That kind of performance makes Toronto’s lean toward Stecher easy to understand. He brings familiarity, a steady two-way game, and a level of trust that matters when a team is sorting out a new-look group. The Maple Leafs claimed him on waivers in 2025-26, and he went from averaging only 13 minutes in Edmonton to more than 20 in Toronto.
There is still room for movement behind him. If the Maple Leafs go with 13 forwards, eight defencemen, and two goalies, there are still two spots to sort through, and Andrae and Blankenburg remain options. They could still be shuffled in with Stecher and OEL depending on the situation, and Blankenburg offers a more offensive look than Stecher does.
Even so, at this stage, familiarity matters. In a season already loaded with change, Toronto seems ready to reward the player who has already shown he can handle the role. For the Maple Leafs’ blue line, the final spot looks like it belongs to Troy Stecher.
In Other News...
Leafs Decision On Dennis Hildeby Suddenly Looks Worth Revisiting
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Now, with Hildeby getting another look in Tampa Bays system, the old Toronto decision doesnt look quite as tidy in retrospect. The Leafs clearly prioritized their present crease situation, but the pathway they chose meant giving up a goaltender with some value at a point when he still could have been lost without any return at all. It is the kind of organizational fork in the road that doesnt always matter until a player resurfaces elsewhere and forces the question back into view. [Read more 🡒]
Gavin McKenna Is Forcing A Bigger Maple Leafs Question Than Expected
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The catch, of course, is that all of it came in exhibition games against lineups that were not quite NHL regulars. Even so, McKennas ability to tilt the ice has raised the sort of question teams like to have but do not always expect this early: how long can the Maple Leafs afford to keep a player performing this well in a role that is still only a preseason sample, and what does that mean when the games start to count? [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Leave Preseason With One Encouraging Sign And One New Concern
The Leafs closed out the preseason with a 6-1 win in their final exhibition game, and coach Jim Hiller came away with a couple of clear takeaways from the night. Gavin McKenna looked improved in his second preseason game, while Easton Cowan continued to show the kind of versatility that can make him useful in different roles as camp winds down.
Jim Hiller also addressed Sergei Bobrovskys performance in net, but the bigger question coming out of the game involved Nick Paul. His status is still uncertain, though it is not believed to be serious, and the team is expected to know more the following day. For a group trying to leave the preseason feeling settled, that is the kind of update that can linger a little longer than a win usually does. [Read more 🡒]