Ex-Canucks Edler, Stecher glad to be playoff-bound with Kings
The smile on Alex Edler's face Thursday said it all: He's landed in a great spot with the Los Angeles Kings.
Last summer he took a stab at free agency and landed in the place where the sun is always shining, a 36-year-old veteran on a team full of young players.
And now he's going to the playoffs.
“It's exciting. That's your goal every season wherever you are,” he said.
The veterans on the Kings, like Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty, he knew well. But Edler didn't have any kind of handle on the crop of young players.
The Kings have battled injuries all year, including Edler himself, who broke his leg in December and missed 36 games. That made for plenty of opportunities for young players.
“Yeah, it's been great,” he said of joining a lineup that mixed old and young. “You know, a lot of guys have impressed me. Guys I didn't know much about before I came to the team. We've had guys stepping in and playing well. Playing big minutes. A lot of guys have impressed.”
Because he missed so much of the season with the broken leg, Edler hasn't had to deal with as much night-in, night-out wear-and-tear. But even if that's possible, he didn't want to think about the idea, given it was due to such a severe injury.
“You never want to go through a big injury like that. I mean, you work all summer to prepare to play 82 games plus playoffs,” he said. “My body feels good and healthy.”
He smiled again at the mention of Troy Stecher. The Kings traded for his old Canucks teammate at last month's NHL trade deadline, looking for reinforcements before their playoff drive.
When Stecher is dressed, the two have often been paired together, just as they often did in Vancouver.
“It was nice being back with him. We played together quite a bit here (in Vancouver),” he said with a grin. “It's good news for me. It was good the way we played. I don't know how many games we got together, but it was good.”
Stecher said he's pleased by the opportunity. It was a tough go for him in Detroit this season; the Red Wings weren't very good and he also injured his wrist early in November, requiring surgery. He didn't know if he would be traded by the Wings, but the call still caught him off guard.
“The Kings had so many injuries. Still do. I think like we have 10 D-men on our active roster, but a lot of them are hurt. So I was playing a lot there when I got here,” Stecher said.
“And we've got a lot of healthy guys coming back and a lot of younger guys that are trying to gain experience. So I'm providing depth.”
Like Edler, Stecher didn't have a sense of all the prospects the Kings had. But he was happy there was at least one familiar face waiting for him.
“We had some success playing together. I think I played maybe 300 of my games with him, so I feel very comfortable playing alongside him,” he said. “We've developed a really good friendship over the years, too, so happy to be back with him.”