Troy Stecher's Leafs debut quietly showed exactly what this blue line has been missing
Troy Stecher debut has quickly shown his promise for Toronto and show he might be what the Leafs have been missing on defense.
In what was his first game for the Toronto Maple Leafs, defenseman Troy Stecher showcased what could be a strong fit for the Leafs blueline.
Stecher made his debut for Toronto after being claimed off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday debuting on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues in a 3-2 overtime win.
The underlying stats show that Stecher was a positive for Toronto in that time, performing as one of the Leafs better defenders despite only being 5'10.
One player who struggled vs St. Louis was Simon Benoit, and it has led to conversation of whether or not Stecher should take Benoit's spot in the Leafs lineup.
What the numbers from Stecher's debut really say about his impact
Troy Stecher had managed to be one of the Leafs top defensemen in his debut, and although it has only been one game, it was a showing that the Leafs needed, and what could be a depth solution on their blueline for at least this season.
Toronto has been looking for more physical pace on defense, especially with the injuries to Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo depriving Toronto of two major sources of their defensive side.
What is notable for Toronto is that offensively Stecher showed some positive aspects, with the Leafs leading St. Louis in shot attempts (10-6), shots on goal (6-4), scoring chances (5-2), & goals (1-0) with Stecher on the ice.
Although not the biggest player at 5'10, Stecher has continued to hustle at every point in his NHL career, and is commanding eyes on him as a player who has an insatiable work ethic.
If he can be an effective defender at the bottom of the lineup, Stecher could stick as a permanent fixture in the Leafs lineup, and push some other players out.
Why Stecher's debut shows he could push Philippe Myers down the depth chart
The Toronto Maple Leafs may have some difficult decisions to make with Troy Stecher a potential emergence for the team.
Two players who could risk losing their place with Stecher in the lineup is Simon Benoit and Philippe Myers.
Stecher could push Benoit out of the right-hand side and onto the seventh defenseman spot, which would knock Myers from that role and leave his place uncertain.
Showing in his debut what he can do with Toronto, Troy Stecher is making a strong case to stay with the Leafs once Tanev and Carlo return, and make a few other defenders a bit nervous over their job security.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 21|1217 ANSWERS Troy Stecher's Leafs debut quietly showed exactly what this blue line has been missing Who do you trust most out of these defensemen? | ||
| Troy Stecher | 581 | 47.7 % |
| Simon Benoit | 570 | 46.8 % |
| Philippe Myers | 66 | 5.4 % |
| List of polls | ||