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Craig Berube and Forward Nicolas Roy Love What Troy Stecher Brings to the Maple Leafs

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Mike Armenti
November 16, 2025 (4:52 PM)

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After being claimed by the Maple Leafs off of waivers on Saturday, Troy Stecher already has two big believers in Craig Berube and new teammate Nicolas Roy.

It's no secret that the Maple Leafs are a banged-up group right now, especially on the blueline, with two of their top-4 defenseman sidelined in Brandon Carlo and Chris Tanev.

Thankfully, an opportunity presented itself on Saturday for the Leafs to bolster their blueline with the acquisition of Troy Stecher, who was brought in on a waiver claim from the Edmonton Oilers.

Berube Excited for the Addition of Troy Stecher

Stecher is not the most offensively inclined player around, but he's a right-hand shot, which his new coach Craig Berube desperately needs right now, and there's one area of his game that Berube seems to love, which bodes well for the 31-year-old defenseman -- his competitive spirit.

He's a right-hand shot. Very competitive player. You know, been around, got experience, but more so than anything, just getting that right-hand shot. He's a competitive guy. He really is - and he has to be. But like I said, we were looking for another D, and the right-hand shot was what we needed.

Berube Not the Only Stecher Fan in Toronto

Berube was not the only one excited for the addition of Stecher, as Nicolas Roy, the former Vegas Golden Knight, became very familiar with Stecher from playing against him in the Western Conference last year.

Given his comments about the acquisition on Saturday, it's clear that Roy loves what Stecher will bring to the Maple Leafs.

He's not the biggest guy, but he's really hard to play against. Feisty. Really physical. Good stick. Good first pass. So, all around, he is tough to play against, for sure.

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When you come to a new team not knowing what to expect, it's good to have a couple of believers, and the comments from Berube and Roy should help with Stecher's confidence.

As far as who Stecher will play with when he makes his Leafs debut in the coming days, that's yet to be determined. The former Oilers defender is expected to begin practicing with the team this week, and could dress for the Leafs on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues.

Previously on Toronto Hockey Daily

Comments From Craig Berube Point to Some Different Motivation Tactics For Leafs Amid Losing Streak

David Kampf Takes To Social Media To Issue Statement About His Time With Maple Leafs

Berube Gives Honest Opinion of Joseph Woll's Season Debut with the Maple Leafs

POLL
NOVEMBRE 16 \| 980 ANSWERS Craig Berube and Forward Nicolas Roy Love What Troy Stecher Brings to the Maple Leafs Who do you think Troy Stecher should play with in his Leafs debut?
Simon Benoit	224	22.9 %
Jake McCabe	350	35.7 %
Oliver Ekman-Larsson	285	29.1 %
Other	121	12.3 %
List of polls

Craig Berube and Forward Nicolas Roy Love What Troy Stecher Brings to the Maple Leafs

After being claimed by the Maple Leafs off of waivers on Saturday, Troy Stecher already has two big believers in Craig Berube and new teammate Nicolas Roy.

Berube Excited for the Addition of Troy Stecher

Berube Not the Only Stecher Fan in Toronto

Who do you think Troy Stecher should play with in his Leafs debut?