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On what has already been a deeply unsettling day for fans of the Edmonton Oilers comes a flurry of news of a connection between Edmonton Oilers and soon-to-be Unrestricted Free Agent Zack Hyman.
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Jason Gregor of TSN1260tweeted:
- Hearing the Oilers are meeting with pending UFA Zack Hyman today in Edmonton.
Reminder. Toronto granted permission for them to speak. So I’d presume some sort of compensation (draft pick) would go to EDM [sic] if they agree to a deal.
Chris Johnston of Sportsnetfollowed up:
- With Zach Hyman in Edmonton visiting the #oilers today, as @JasonGregor reported, there remains a possibility of a sign-and-trade scenario with the #leafs that could get him a max eight-year term.
@NHL_Watcher tweeted:
- [Darren] Dreger on TSN talking Hyman: “We know that there is communication with the Edmonton Oilers. What is this deal going to look like? There are some who believe that it could reach upwards of 6, 7 years, maybe north of $40M believe it or not.”
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That’s as good a tagline as any, “believe it or not”. Hyman, 29, is a right-shooting left winger who has enjoyed a number of fine seasons in Toronto since breaking in with the Leaf’s brilliant rookie crop of 2016-17. That group included his frequent linemates Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews.
Hyman’s player page at hockeydb.com shows him to be a consistent producer with four straight seasons in the 15-21 goal and 33-41 point range, with a double-digit plus in each campaign.
In 2021 he recorded career bests of 0.77 points per game and 2.14 points per 60 minutes at 5v5, a 63-point pace. An all-situations player, Hyman averaged 19:22 per game including significant time on both special teams. He did however play just 43 games, missing time to a knee injury for the second straight season.
Hyman has proven himself a fine complementary player to skilled linemates and would fill a major hole in Edmonton’s top six, most likely on Connor McDavid‘s flank. But fill it for six, seven, even eight years as the above tweets hint? That would be a major gamble to say the least, one the Oilers have made (and lost) before with power forwards on the cusp of their 30s.
More to come. Very possibly, much more.
Recently at the Cult of Hockey
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