I saw him on WDAZ News @ 10 saying he is leaning towards signing a contract. He also said "This is a business and I hope the fans understand that". I don't think Mr. Stecher really knows just how much of a business the NHL is. And he won't until he signs a contract with someone. Once you sign that piece of paper, you become just another piece of meat to be used however they want to use you. That is probably why almost every player that leaves early wishes that they hadn't left early.
Because all the NHL seems to care about is how big you are (or aren't), Stecher could very well get buried in the AHL for years, getting passed over for bigger, taller defensemen. I really hope he does his homework on the teams that pursue him so he doesn't get stuck in an organization that doesn't give him a fair shot at making the big league.
Having said all that, I thank him for his contributions to this team and program and I wish him all the best.