Maple Leafs defenseman Troy Stecher joined Overdrive to discuss the team’s disappointing season, the ups and downs of his individual season, the treatment of players in Toronto, and the uncertain future for him and the organization this offseason.
What did you make of the Ridly Greig sucker punch, as a player in the league?
Stecher: I won’t say too much. I think Biz said it pretty well on the panel. There is a kind of difference between the rabbit punches in a scrum and a full-on uppercut. I am sure something will happen, whether a suspension or a fine. He is going to have to answer the bell next year. That is kind of a code that runs across the league. You don’t do something like that.
"That is absolute BS. That's the type of thing when it's not called, I would be so fired up that after the game, I might even be at the other locker room waiting for him to walk out."
Paul Bissonnette on a sucker punch from Ottawa's Ridly Greig. #NHLpic.twitter.com/6v91ywOlNP
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 25, 2026
When you were claimed by Toronto, you stepped in and played a ton. You played really well and immediately endeared yourself to the fan base. What sparked that, in your opinion, when you arrived? Why did it work, and what do you take away from your season in Toronto?
Stecher: I don’t really know. There was an opportunity. When I came in, there were a lot of injuries, especially on the backend. I stepped in right away and just played. I felt like I played well in the first three or four games, and from that, you get confidence. I ran with it for six or eight weeks there at the start.
My game definitely dropped off at a certain point, too. There was a lull. Not to make excuses for myself, but it was kind of like everybody on our team. It seemed like everybody hit a rough patch at a certain point during the season.
My overall assessment of my year is that I was proud to prove to people in the hockey world that I can continue to play. You kind of doubt yourself sometimes when you are put on waivers. At the same time, there is no place for any complacency. I understand that you have to strive to be better every single day because someone is always knocking on the door trying to take your job.
I was content, I guess you could say.
When you go from Edmonton to Toronto, you probably had some preconceived notions of what it was like in Toronto, but now you’ve seen behind the curtain. Do you see the framework of something good there? Do you feel like there is a base to work with? There is a lot of uncertainty going forward with the organization.
Stecher: There are a lot of good pieces in Toronto.
First and foremost, how the organization treats you as a player… We’re very fortunate. You are not treated that well across the league in many spots, if any. It is a real privilege to be a Maple Leaf in that regard. I felt very fortunate.
There is obviously a lot of uncertainty around the organization right now. Would I like to be back? Yeah. I really enjoyed playing there. It was a great group of guys with a lot of good players. We had injuries to our captain and our best defenseman; not to make excuses, but those are two important people in our lineup.
Toronto, in general, is a hockey beast. How could you not get up for those games, to go there and represent that city, understanding how important the magnitude of the Maple Leafs is in Toronto? It’s very cool to be able to play for them.
When you say you are treated better in Toronto than maybe anywhere else, can you give us some examples? What about the experience makes the Leafs stick out?
Stecher: It is the little things. You have a player-only bus on the road, before the game and after the game, regardless of the result. It is just the guys there together talking. On the road, you stay overnight in a lot of cities because they feel there is a benefit in you getting a better night’s rest instead of hopping on a flight and getting into a hotel late. If you really want to get into it, a lot of teams wouldn’t do that just on their budget alone.
They do everything they can to try to maximize and get the best out of every single player. It is pretty evident, especially for me, as someone who has been around the league and played for multiple teams. I can compare one to the other. It was cool to be in Toronto and be treated that way.
With the level of uncertainty in the organization, what is it like for the players? How much anxiety would you bring for any player of any level?
Stecher: It’s a good question. It is pretty loaded. You’d get a different answer depending on who you ask and where they are within the organization.
Obviously, Auston, being the captain, will have a lot of different feelings than I, who might not be back. For me, you’re just looking for someone who is going to take charge, stick to their guns, and do what is best for the organization.
For me, right now, I’m just very focused on my offseason and trying to be the best version of Troy Stecher I can be.
When watching the playoffs, has anything stuck out? Do any teams have your attention, or individual performances? What has caught your eye?
Stecher: All of the matchups, in general, have been really entertaining to watch. I was really shocked Ottawa got swept. I didn’t see that one coming. The Tampa-Montreal series has been super entertaining. It is really cool to see Utah do as well as they have so far, especially being in Arizona not long ago. A lot of those core guys are still there, so I am really happy for them.
Edmonton kind of let me go, which I was disappointed about, but I still have a lot of relationships with those guys. I am hoping for the best for them. It is kind of shocking to see them where they are right now, too.
What is your read on the Oilers being up against it in their series? Does the fact that they played so much hockey in the last two years factor in, or is it more about what Anaheim is doing?
Stecher: I think a bit of both. You could argue both sides of it. As far as the series, I think it is kind of free-flowing and open. They’re trading chances back and forth.
They have played a lot of hockey, especially their big guys — Olympics, 4 Nations. It adds up.
What do you do now, at this point in the offseason? It seems like today’s athletes shut it down for a week or 10 days and are right back in the gym.
Stecher: It kind of depends on the guy, and also your age. This is my 10th year. I’ve kind of changed my training regimen throughout the years, just based on what my body needs. I was back in the gym today for the first time. I wasn’t lifting weights, but I was just stretching and getting mobile again, working on my flexibility.
It seems like the next generation of players is going at it 24/7. It is kind of motivating, as a guy my age. I don’t have a lot of years left, so I have to continue to work hard.
Do you think there is a silver lining when there is a longer offseason to prepare after failing to make the playoffs?
Stecher: Yeah, for sure. First and foremost, you want to be playing. You are disappointed in that regard. But, earlier in my career, in Vancouver, we didn’t make the playoffs in the first three years. For myself, individually, as a smaller defenseman, it was kind of a benefit. I got five months, three years in a row, to really work on my strength and my game away from a systems or team setting.
It is the same for this year. In the past two years, I’ve been in Edmonton, with long playoff runs to the finals, losing twice. Your summer is only about nine weeks. A third of that is kind of just recovering and resting. Next thing you know, you are kind of in panic mode: “I’ve got to train.”
This year, it will be a good opportunity for me to get a good summer in, for sure.
As a smaller defenseman who is mobile and can move the puck, does it feel like that is where the league is going, as far as the importance of advancing the puck and jumping into the play?
Stecher: For sure. You see the theme of that across the league with the defensemen coming up. I do think there is still an importance on how you defend, though. It becomes pretty evident at playoff time.
I guess the whole mindset of playing defense has changed. The best defense is playing no defense. If you have the puck all the time, it is a lot easier in that regard. It seems like the new generation of defensemen coming up like to play with the puck and have possession, so that you don’t have to defend that often.
