Playoff goals: Zach Hyman already has more in Edmonton than Matthews ever had in his career

A change of scenery in the world of sports, whether it’s a change of team via a transaction or a signing, often allows a player to get his bearings and bounce back.

This isn’t always the case, but in general, a change of scenery can’t hurt a player.

In recent NHL hockey, for example, Kirby Dach and Artturi Lehkonen both exploded on their new teams.

Why am I talking about a change of scenery?

Because there’s one that fascinates me more and more every year.

I want to talk to you today about Zach Hyman.

The Edmonton Oilers forward quickly established himself as one of the Oilers’ best players from the moment he arrived in Edmonton, and even more so this year, he established himself as an excellent goal scorer, and even one of the NHL’s best.

I know his 54-goal season has been roundly criticized as not being all that impressive because of the many goals he easily scores on the power play with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but still.

Scoring over 50 goals in a season takes some doing.

And what’s even more impressive in Hyman’s case is that he raises his game even higher in the playoffs.

This season, Hyman already has ten playoff goals in just 11 games. That’s an impressive haul, and one that’s helping the Oilers perform well in the playoffs.

The bottom line is that Zach Hyman has undergone a metamorphosis since leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Before joining the Oilers, Hyman had scored just five goals in five playoff seasons (32 games), and had never made it past the first round.

Since then, Hyman has scored 24 goals in three playoff seasons (39 games).

By comparison, Auston Matthews, considered the NHL’s all-time leading scorer, has just 23 career playoff goals in eight seasons (55 playoff games).