Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman whittled his defensive corps, unloading Troy Stecher for a seventh round pick.
The 2022 selection from the Los Angeles Kings isn’t much, but the Wings had no use for Stecher anymore. He didn’t fit into their future, and, with claiming Olli Juolevi off waivers earlier this month, wasn’t needed at present, either.
Stecher played in the Wings’ 4-2 loss Saturday at Seattle. His defensive lapses were in evidence on the third goal, when he got caught unaware as Yanni Gourde snuck behind Stecher and scored the Kraken’s third goal.
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Stecher, who turns 28 in April, was signed by Yzerman for two years, $3.4 million in October 2020. Stecher had two points in 16 games this season. He missed time with a wrist injury, but also was a healthy scratch early in the season.
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Stecher was among multiple pending free agents on the Wings roster, a group that also includes defensemen Nick Leddy and Marc Staal, forwards Vladislav Namestnikov and Sam Gagner, and goaltender Thomas Greiss.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.