Wondering where the Maple Leafs would be without Troy Stecher might be overdoing it.

There’s certainly no denying the impact the veteran defenceman has made on the Leafs since mid-November, however, when the Edmonton Oilers decided that Stecher could no longer help them.

Before playing host to Connor McDavid and the Oilers on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena, the Leafs were 6-2-3 in 11 games since claiming Stecher off waivers from the Oilers on Nov. 15. The 31-year-old British Columbia native was averaging 20 minutes 12 seconds of ice time a game, well above his National Hockey League career average of 17 minutes 28 seconds in 577 games. In his past six games, Stecher didn’t play less than 22 minutes in any of them.

The blow of playing without the injured Chris Tanev and Brandon Car

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