Zach Hyman of the Edmonton Oilers is a talented forward who has earned every dollar in respect to what he provides his team. However, he is not playing as well so far in 2024-25 compared to seasons past. I will dive into a team that would be a perfect fit for Hyman, if he were dealt away from the Oilers franchise.
Hyman is a gritty player with excellent on-ice awareness, who has developed into a reliable goalscorer for the team. His play is stellar, and he is good at setting up his teammates, in large part thanks to his ability to retrieve pucks on the forecheck.
Last season, Hyman broke new barriers for the Oilers with 54 goals, as he helped lead them to the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final. He is a coveted forward any team would love to have in their top six, and would be a good fit for most teams wanting to pursue him.
A team that makes the most sense for Hyman to be traded to
Hyman's would not attract a lot of teams that are in the hunt for a Stanley Cup themselves, because his $5.5 million cap hit would probably be considered too high. However, a rebuilding team would be a different story.
A team with enough cap space and ample room to fit in Hyman, would have to be the Chicago Blackhawks. They have the tools to make this trade happen at fair value for both teams involved.
The player I would trade for, would have to be defenceman Seth Jones and a second to third-round draft pick, even though he makes an AAV of $9.5 million for the next five seasons. Adding Brett Kulak on the Edmonton Oilers' side would increase the cap value to $8.25 million for both Hyman and Kulak, with the Blackhawks possibly retaining the remaining part of Jones' contract
Both clubs would benefit from such a trade
The Chicago Blackhawks would benefit from forward Hyman and defenceman Kulak's services, because of the abilityies both bring to the table, including helping in Connor Bedard's continued development. Meanwhile, Edmonton would benefit from Jones' defensive capabilities and have a more secured blue-line with improved depth, speed, and skill.