Edmonton Oilers’ Zach Hyman: Worth Every Penny

After almost a whole season with Edmonton Oilers Zach Hyman its clear he has been a helpful addition.

After signing a 7 year, $5.5 million contract in the offseason forward Zach Hyman has been an outstanding pickup by Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland. The Florida Panthers 2010 5th round pick spent his previous 6 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs before signing as a free agent in Edmonton. Hyman currently sits 3rd on the team in both goals (24, Career High) and points (48, Career High), with 9 regular season games remaining. The 29 year old winger has made a major impact on the Orange and Blue, including exponentially improving the penalty kill and forecheck with his tenacity.

Even Strength

Hyman has made a significantly noticeable impact at even strength this season, netting 19 goals and 17 assists at even strength, as well as increasing the teams Corsi for % by 2.3.Hyman has been on the ice for 49 Edmonton Oilers even strength goals this season, all while being a mainstay on the 2nd line this season. Hyman’s expected +/- of +6.6 slots him 4th on the team, behind McDavid, Puljujarvi and Nurse.

Short-Handed

Hyman’s been the most impactful on Edmonton’s penalty kill, providing a drastic upgrade for the top unit. Hyman has an outstanding career high in short-handed PDO (Shooting % + Save %) at 101.2, which is even above his even strength number for the same stat. Hyman also increases the Oilers short-handed possession by 6.7%, which is second among regular penalty killers behind only Brett Kulak, all while notching a goal and 3 assists and 5 blocked shots. The team shoots an incredibly high 11.4% on the kill with Hyman on the ice, improving an Oilers PK that sits at 77.7% on the year.

Power play

Slotting into a tie for 3rd in Oilers power play goals, Hyman has added a solid net front presence to an already potent Oilers power play group. Hyman has netted 8 points on the power play this season, all while having just one of his 27 shot attempts blocked when on the man advantage. Hyman has been on the ice for 26 power play goals, providing a skilled net front presence which this elite power play has been struggling to find consistently. Hyman has set power play career highs in goals assists and points, with 4, 4, and 8 respectively. There is little doubt that Hyman has been a factor in the Edmonton Oilers power play, which sits nearly 5% above the league average.

Zach Hyman has had a season to remember since leaving the Leafs in free agency, posting multiple career highs and playing an integral role in the Oilers special teams and remaining a mainstay in the clubs stacked top 6 forward group.