Oilers Offer an Injury Update on Zach Hyman

Edmonton Oilers head coach Mike Babcock wasted no time offering an injury update on Zach Hyman, declaring a status update prior to taking any questions after the morning skate.

The Edmonton Oilers have announced that forward Zach Hyman is being placed on injured reserve (IR) with what has been described as a stiff neck. The injury occurred in Monday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings when Hyman left the game after taking a hit along the boards from Andreas Englund. He needed help getting off the ice, and many assumed it was a concussion-related injury as he banged the back of his head on the glass.

Hyman held his visor and went down slowly after the impact of the hit. He needed assistance getting off the ice and didn’t return. The worry was that it could be more than a week and that wasn’t ideal for the Oilers given their rash of injuries already.

Head coach Mike Babcock confirmed that the injury might be less serious than feared. He is out with a “stiff neck,” said the coach. That was probably a positive development given what Babcock said after Monday’s game: “I didn’t like to see Hym’s go,”We’re hoping to get guys back, not losing more guys. That affected our lineup a bit.” He noted that he didn’t like the way that looked when Hyman left the game.