Oilers ‘hopeful’ winger Zach Hyman can return by beginning of November

Hyman last appeared with the team five months ago, exiting Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Stars after taking an awkward hit from forward Mason Marchment. Hyman later revealed that he had suffered a dislocated wrist and required surgery. In mid-September, Knoblauch shared that Hyman would miss the start of the season, expected to return in early November. Per Thursday’s announcement, they look to be right on that timeline.

After Hyman’s 2023-24 campaign saw him pot 54 goals and 16 more in the playoffs, the most in a single postseason by an active player, last season was a bit of a down year for the 33-year-old. Through 73 appearances, he had 27 goals and 17 assists, his lowest numbers in half a decade. Things picked up in the playoffs, as he tallied five goals and six assists in 15 games. He also unlocked a powerful physicality in the postseason last year, with an astounding 111 hits across those 15 appearances. Had he not gone out with injury, he was well on his way to breaking the all-time hits record of 126 in a single postseason, set by Blake Coleman in 2020 through 25 games played.

In Hyman’s absence, the Oilers are off to a 4-3-1 start. Ahead of his anticipated return, the team has four more games scheduled for October, hitting the road to face the Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks this weekend, before returning home to host the Utah Mammoth and the New York Rangers next week. Their offence has been off to a somewhat slow start this season, averaging 2.57 goals/game through their first seven matches. Things began to pick up on Thursday night as they scored three unanswered, including two power-play goals, against the Montreal Canadiens to beat them 6-5. With Hyman’s imminent return, the Oilers will anticipate a continued spark to their offence to begin putting together some dominant showings on the ice, the way the two-time defending Western Conference Champions have done in the past.