One dream, one realistic, and one bargain player the Blackhawks must target in NHL free agency

Bargain Free Agent: Troy Stecher, Edmonton Oilers

This one may raise a few eyebrows, but this isn’t the first time I talked about the Blackhawks potentially going after Troy Stecher. He would bring lessons learned from the deep playoff run with the Edmonton Oilers, but that’s just one of a few reasons why he would make a good fit in the Windy City. 

While he only saw time in seven regular season games with Connor McDavid and company, received exclusive third-pairing minutes, and did not appear in any playoff games thanks to getting sidelined with ankle surgery, he’s still been part of the team throughout the playoff run, and that’s what counts here. 

Before the cyst on his ankle became troublesome, Stecher was enjoying a decent seven-game stretch with the Oilers, putting up a pair of assists, a plus-4 rating, 10 blocks, and 15 hits for his basic stats. He also made it tough for opponents to score on his team, both in Arizona and in Edmonton, ending the year with a 93.1 on-ice save percentage at even strength. 

And if you want more fun, his team allowed just 29 goals when he was on the ice at even strength throughout his time in both cities and in 54 games total. He also stepped in as a supplementary puck mover who helped his team spend more time in the offensive zone than his 44.3 percent of offensive zone starts indicated, evidenced with a 49.6 percent Corsi For, which also occurred at even strength. 

Overall, the Blackhawks would pick up a hard-hitting player who won’t take top-four minutes away from younger talent in Chicago’s rotation should Kyle Davidson seek out the under-the-radar blueliner. As was the case in Edmonton, Stecher is another player who could factor in as a seventh defenseman and give the Blackhawks between 15 and 17 minutes on a rotational basis. 

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