In an Edmonton Oilers news and rumors update, the vitriol from the Berkshire video about Zach Hyman ’s wealth seems to have calmed, but the discourse surrounding Evander Kane’s situation in Edmonton is picking up again. Meanwhile, Connor McDavid is on the verge of a historic milestone for assists and Evan Bouchard is having the best season offensively since Paul Coffey.
Hyman’s 51 Goals and The Cost of Hockey
Andrew Berkshire took a ton of heat over the past 48 hours. He posted a video diminishing the achievements of Hyman’s 50-goal season while trying to argue the media isn’t telling the entire story that hockey is unaffordable for most Canadian families and that more needs to be said about it. In response to the criticism, he uploaded a second video and then multiple follow-up posts saying he wrongly included Hyman in what he contends is the bigger issue about the cost of hockey. He didn’t apologize to Hyman and then called out people who didn’t separate his take on Hyman’s career from the true issue.
All the while, Hyman scored the overtime winner for the Oilers against the Winnipeg Jets, potting his 51st of the season. I’ve already said my piece on Berkshire’s rant, but good on Hyman for not being distracted by a story almost everyone was talking about for two straight days he had to have caught wind of it.
Evander Kane Upset About Sitting
The Oilers decided to keep Kane out of the lineup on Sunday versus the Ottawa Senators in what they labeled a “maintenance day”. Kane clearly didn’t like the decision. When he spoke to the media ahead of the Oilers’ win over Winnipeg, he was visibly irked by the questions about having a day to rest and recuperate.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli argued that Kane’s act had grown stale in Edmonton, something the NHL insider contends happens often with the forward in almost every NHL he’s ever played. Seravalli wasn’t sure if the Oilers might look to do something with Kane this summer, but he did suggest there will come a time when Edmonton will want to move on before his contract expires.
I can’t say I agree with Seravalli, but it is clear Kane is going through a bit of a dry spell. He could badly use a couple of goals to quiet the noise of his on-ice production, whilst removing off-ice chatter.
McDavid Inching Closer to 100 Assists
With 93 assists on the season, it might be a couple of games from now fans are talking about a historic season for Connor McDavid. He has a chance to reach 100 assists on the season, something few have ever done.
He would join Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux as the only other players to reach that marker in a single season. Amazingly, Gretzky hit 100 assists in one season 11 times. Closing in on the NHL scoring leader, McDavid has amassed an impressive 119 points in 68 games, putting him within five points of the top spot. In his last 28 appearances alone, McDavid has tallied 60 points, accompanied by an astounding 50 assists.
Evan Bouchard’s Incredible Offensive Performance
Speaking of incredible offensive seasons, not since Hall-of-Famer Paul Coffey have the Oilers seen a defenseman put up the kind of numbers Evan Bouchard is. His shooting and passing are elite and with 72 points now, it’s going to be interesting to see where he finishes the season.
Bouchard is putting himself in a prime position to earn a huge payday on his next contract. Could he be approaching the $10 million per season mark?
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