Oilers Star Forward Felt Helpless During SCF

After losing to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row, the Edmonton Oilers are left with a feeling of "what if?" What if Stuart Skinner maintained his strong run of form into the final? What if their defense was able to better contain the Panthers' high-octane offense? Most importantly, what if they had Zach Hyman?

Hyman - who has scored 144 goals over his four seaons with the Oilers, including 54 in 2023-24 - suffered a dislocated wrist and tore multiple ligaments when he took a slash from then-Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final. He was quickly ruled out for the rest of the postseason, and underwent surgery in early June.

While Hyman was obviously in immense physical pain, what hurt most was not being able to join his teammates in the biggest series of their lives.

"It was hard in the Final not being able to help, you feel helpless," Hyman told NHL.com's Dave McCarthy. "It's not common to be watching especially in games like that where you want to be involved.

"I got a feel for it as a manager almost from the top which was not fun. Watching those games was super stressful. When you are playing in it, you are not stressed at all, you're just playing."

Hyman was having a solid postseason prior to his injury, scoring six goals and 11 points in 15 games. He also scored 16 goals, the most in the league, and 22 points last postseason in the Oilers' first of two back-to-back runs to the Stanley Cup Final.

Last year, the Oilers fell to the Panthers in the most heartbreaking fashion imaginable, erasing a 3-0 series deficit before losing in Game 7. They took a while to recover the following season, as they started at a pedestrian 6-7-1.

This year's loss is obviously still heartbreaking, but Hyman and the Oilers feel they're better prepared to handle it going forward.

"I think this year was a little different. We will go into this coming year with a little bit more motivation," Hyman said. "The first year was pretty heartbreaking, going down 3-0, coming back all the way and then losing a tight one in Game 7. I think this one we will be able to get going right away."

Hyman did not put a definitive timeline of his recovery, but said he hoped to be back by opening night in October. If so, it would be a major boost to the Oilers as they look to finally get over the hump in June.