The Oilers have felt the absence of Hyman this season, both at even strength and on the power play, and his return in the coming weeks will be a major boost to their team that’s struggled at times to generate offence and find the right formula up front with its forward lines.
“It’ll be a huge boost for sure,” McDavid said. “We’ve got some young forwards on the team that are kind of finding their way, and it’ll be good to get him back and everything that he provides. He obviously skates well, he’s physical, and he goes to the net hard – all stuff we’ve kind of been missing, so it’ll be huge to get him back.”
When he returns, Hyman will likely assume his top-line duties while re-taking his role on the man advantage as Edmonton’s net-front presence – along with all the other intangibles he brings in hard work, grit and tenacity that helped him score 50 goals in 2023-24 and make opportunities for his teammates.
“It would mean a lot,” Knoblauch added. “Just look at most of our games so far this year when it comes to goal scoring. Zach is as good as anyone scoring goals, so he gives us some depth there. With our team, a little tenacity, a little grit and getting in on the forecheck would help with that. I like how a lot of the guys are playing, but anytime you add a star-quality player like Zach, it helps the team a lot and moves other guys to the chairs they should be in.”
