BLOG: Oilers show their humility when making tough lineup decisions in the playoffs

DALLAS, TX – Troy Stecher is a fantastic defenceman, and so is Mattias Ekholm.

However, sometimes tough decisions must be made about who comes in and out of the lineup.

When you’re a team as deep as the Edmonton Oilers playing and have the potential to add a player of Ekholm's quality back into to their squad, it creates difficult choices over who'll be taken out – even if it's a player who is forced to step back that doesn’t deserve to be sitting in the press box.

Defenceman Troy Stecher, who’s expected to be healthy scratched on Thursday in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, is probably the one who understands that reality the most.

That’s why the 31-year-old blueliner gave this humbling quote in an interview with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector on Monday about his willingness to step back to allow Ekholm’s return to the lineup despite his terrific play over six consecutive playoff appearances:

“I want him healthy and I want him to help us win. He's a better player than I am. That's just the reality of the world.”

“I just want to win a Stanley Cup, man,” he continued. “I don’t want to talk poorly (of anyone), but my time in Vancouver, we weren't very good. And my time in Arizona, we weren't very good. My time in Detroit, we weren't very good. I just want an opportunity to play on a contender.

“Obviously, I want to be in the lineup … I'm going to do everything in my power to prove to the coaches I deserve to play. But the most important thing is just winning hockey games. I’m very fortunate to be in the position I'm in.”

The give-and-take of making lineup decisions every day in the NHL is never easy for players or coaches, especially when you reach the highly emotional stage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, the team’s needs always take precedence, regardless of the situation.

It’s the same whether it’s the regular season or the Stanley Cup Final, where the Oilers can return for the second straight year with a victory in Game 5 against the Stars, and there can be a lot of emotion involved when you factor in the competitiveness and desire of players skilled enough to play in the NHL.

Luckily, the Oilers are a selfless group filled with individuals who only want to see the best for the squad, even if it means someone else is taking their spot.

Enter Troy Stecher, who has been stellar for the Oilers in his six games alongside Darnell Nurse, utilizing his excellent puck-moving skills to help Edmonton’s transition game and being tenacious while defending when his teammates didn’t have the puck on their stick.

Stecher was inserted into the lineup for Game 4 against the Golden Knights in the Second Round in place of Ty Emberson, who gave the Oilers nine solid games over the first two rounds before Head Coach Kris Knoblauch decided they needed a different look from the back end that Stecher could provide.

Stecher is a well-respected presence in the Oilers locker room, which prompted one of their veteran leaders in Ekholm to seek him out directly the next day to thank him after hearing the comments he made about stepping back in order to make room for him.

“I saw [the quotes] and I went right up to him the next day just to tell him that I really respect him as a guy, and it takes a human being to say something like that,” Ekholm said. "So it just tells you everything you need to know about Troy Stecher, what a teammate he is and what a guy he is with how he conducts himself every day. I’m just a big fan of him and can't say much more than that. Truly special to be part of a group with guys like that.”

Winger Jeff Skinner finds himself in the reverse situation as Stecher by getting the chance to return to the lineup for Game 5 after being healthy scratched for Evander Kane after Game 1 of the First Round against Los Angeles despite feeling that he played well in his career playoff debut.

"I felt personally that I was playing pretty well. I thought we were playing well as a team, too," Skinner said. "That's what you want. That's what you need. You need guys coming into the playoffs, and I think after those first two games, we got a good rhythm going, and guys were playing great."

But that's the way things go in the playoffs, and the perennial 30-goal scorer over his 15-year NHL career has maintained an exceptional attitude while waiting for his opportunity to jump back into the lineup for the Oilers.

"Jeff is an outstanding professional. What you want from a player, he's brought it," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "Outstanding attitude, always smiling in practices, having fun, engaging with his teammates. The coaches ask him to do something, whether it's skate after coming into the lineup, or play a certain role, he's been able to do that and adapt.

"It's unfortunate he's played only one game throughout the playoffs and probably a little unfair for him. The last couple of months, I think he'd been playing really well and contributing. Going into the playoffs, we added Trent Frederic and Evander Kane to our lineup, and then a lot of other guys came back from injuries, and it just pushed him out. He was probably very close to being in those lineups."

"We chose other guys, but for Jeff coming in tonight, here's a guy that can score a big goal. Hopefully, that's the case. But he's also good at moving the puck and you don't have to worry about him defensively because he has a lot of experience. He knows his position, and he's just a good all-around smart hockey player."

Skinner will step in for Zach Hyman, who underwent surgery after sustaining an upper-body injury on a hit received from Mason Marchment in Game 4, putting an end to what had been a successful playoff campaign for him with five goals, 11 assists, 111 hits and a plus-10 rating in 11 games.

After Hyman was the player who addressed the team after their Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Final last year, saying "I know we'll be back," they're going to have to rely on their team's incredible depth to get themselves back there and finish what they started.

They need everyone pulling in the right direction on Thursday night in Game 5.

"It's devastating," Ekholm said of the loss of Hyman. "Kind of a surreal moment when you're getting back and then you see Zach most likely done. I'm just feeling for him personally. What a playoff he had too, and he just contributed in a great way, playing his heart out. It's been great to watch him.

"We're going to miss him for sure, but it's just that next man up in the playoffs. You're going to have guys that go down with injuries. No team has a 100 percent healthy lineup, so it's part of the game. It's up to others in the room to fill that void and hopefully keep the train moving in the right direction."