If Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the leaders of the Edmonton Oilers, Zach Hyman is the team's heart. He's the example that any non-superstar needs to follow in terms of perseverance, effort and what being a good player and teammate looks like. The team missed his presence in their second Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, and for all of these reasons, his recent statement supporting new head coach Mike Babcock is worth noting.
Now I'll say that, as the pre-season approaches and players filter back into town, it does feel like there's a marketing effort around the new head coach. McDavid recently reiterated his support for Babcock in fairly strong terms. We shouldn't expect loud protestations from players who intend to skate for the Oilers this season anyway. It's not helpful to their individual causes, nor to the team as a whole. The decision has been made.
Hyman has worked with Babcock
In Hyman, the team has a player who knows his incoming head coach's style. Babcock coached Hyman as he came into the league, and he may credit Babcock with helping him become the player he is today. It's possible that 50-goal Zach Hyman would never exist without Babcock pressuring a the rookie version of Hyman to play responsibly and give all he has in every shift.
In the linked article above, Hyman says of the hire: "It's something that's gonna be really good for our group, he's somebody who we need and somebody who can take us to the next level." That's a very apt summary of what the Oilers players want, and what they're willing to risk to get there. The "next level" for a team that has lost twice in the Stanley Cup Final is a championship. Hyman, and others on the team, seem to believe that Babcock can get more out of the team than their recently fired previous coach, Kris Knoblauch.
The remaining concern when it comes to Babcock as Oilers head coach, is that Mitch Marner was a player on those same Toronto Maple Leaf teams. It's believable that a coach is capable of helping one player realize their potential, and massively mistreating another. Marner, having finally left the scene of Babcock's abuse, looked great in the playoffs as a Vegas Golden Knight, but it's very possible that he was damaged by his time under Babcock's eye. Oiler fans will just have to hope that they get more of Hyman's Babcock than they do of Marner's.
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