Connor McDavid will have a very underrated ally next season
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Jeff DrouinSeptember 15, 2021 (7:46 PM)
While no flashy names were added to the Edmonton Oilers roster this summer, their captain Connor McDavid will be able to take advantage of a strong offensive backup in Zach Hyman. Signed to a seven-year deal at an average annual salary of $5.5 million by General Manager Ken Holland, Hyman will most likely play on the left side of the Oilers' top line, allowing the team to balance its strengths by letting Leon Draisaitl pilot the second line.
While he is primarily known as an energetic player, Hyman is also capable of filling the net, as evidenced by his 86 goals in just over five seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has also proven in the past that he can play alongside some of the best players in the world, playing on the left side of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on the Leafs' top line last season.
His former teammates seem to have fond memories of him. When asked about Hyman's style of play, Auston Matthews praised his former teammate saying that he plays the right way, even if it's not always very "sexy".
On this side, Hyman could be compared to Brendan Gallagher, for example. A player who, while not the most talented, is capable of doing the dirty work on the top-6 of just about any offense in the league. This type of player, who is generally well liked by his teammates, may be exactly what the Oilers team has been missing in recent years.
Recall that despite the presence of star players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Edmonton Oilers have failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs since 2017, even getting shown the door in four short games by the Winnipeg Jets last spring.
So the addition of a hard-working player like Zach Hyman could allow the Oilers' two-headed monster to focus on the offensive side of the game, which will surely allow McDavid and Draisaitl to repeat their offensive exploits of the past few seasons and perhaps even finally translate those individual successes into the playoffs.
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