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Zach Hyman

Oilers Won’t Renew Ken Holland’s Contract

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10:32 a.m.: The Oilers won’t be renewing Holland’s contract, CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson confirmed. The organization didn’t say when the search for his successor would begin, nor did they name an interim GM ahead of tomorrow’s draft.

8:17 a.m.: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Edmonton Oilers will likely allow general manager Ken Holland’s contract to expire on June 30th. Holland would become a free agent at that point, and the expectation is that multiple teams will pursue him to gauge his interest in hockey operations positions. Holland and the Oilers came within one win of the Stanley Cup, which would have been Holland’s fifth had they been successful.

If the Oilers let Holland walk, they will be without a general manager at the most critical time of the year, and as Friedman points out in his article, they could choose to go without a GM in the interim.

Holland has his detractors and had a very uneven run in Edmonton, signing several questionable contracts with Jack Campbell, Darnell Nurse, and Cody Ceci. However, Edmonton never missed the playoffs during Holland’s five-year run and made two Western Conference Finals appearances and one Stanley Cup Final. Holland also made some very savvy moves, notably the signing of 50-goal scorer Zach Hyman, trading for defenseman Mattias Ekholm, and the trade deadline move for Adam Henrique.

TSN’s Darren Dreger reported earlier this week that Holland would have a role in Edmonton if he wanted it, but it remains to be seen if he will look for new challenges or simply retire. If this is the End for Holland in Edmonton, he will finish his time there with a 220-121-32 record.

Leon Draisaitl Will Be Game-Time Decision For Game 2

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Sportsnet is reporting that Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl will be a game-time decision tonight when the Oilers take on the Vancouver Canucks in Game 2 of their second-round series. The report comes one day after Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch told the media that Draisaitl was day-to-day after he’d missed practice. The 28-year-old left halfway through Game 1 but ultimately returned for the third period in the Oilers 5-4 loss. After the game, Knoblauch told reporters that Draisaitl had been dealing with equipment issues and cramping that caused him to miss significant time.

The Cologne, Germany native is once again playing dominant hockey in the playoffs and his injury comes at a time when the Oilers haven’t been able to generate much offense at even strength. Draisaitl has five goals and seven assists in six playoff games thus far and has carried the scoring for the Oilers alongside Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard.

Draisaitl will take the warm-up with the Oilers and a decision will be made afterward on whether he can play. Some pundits have speculated that he suffered an injury when he took a shot to the back from Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers. The hit didn’t look like much as Draisaitl was able to maintain possession of the puck, but it could have him in a spot where he didn’t have padding.

It’s not the first time he’s dealt with health issues in the playoffs, two years ago Draisaitl played through a high-ankle sprain that he suffered in the first round. He continued to play through the pain and was dominant offensively, although his defensive game fell off as he struggled to keep up with the play in the defensive zone.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Edmonton Oilers

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Edmonton Oilers.

Who are the Oilers thankful for?

Connor McDavid

The more things change, the more they stay the same, and that’s held true for the Oilers’ generational talent. McDavid is currently carrying 34 points through 22 games, tied with Cale Makar for eighth in the league in scoring. He’s reached that mark despite a slow start, scoring just four points in the first eight games of November. But things are clicking for the 26-year-old once more, as McDavid has scored an unbelievable 21 points in his last eight games. That’s an 82-game pace of 215.25 points – and while there’s a very slim chance that he ever breaks the 200-point ceiling, the fact that McDavid has held onto that scoring pace over more than a handful of games is incredible. He’s scored in every game over the eight-game stretch, recording multiple points in six of them, and is sticking to  Wayne Gretzky’s tactic of leaning into assists – with 16 of his recent 21 points coming in the form of helpers. The Oilers have faced a lot of adversity this season but McDavid has made it clear that he won’t let it get him down as he looks to top the 153 points he scored last year.

What are the Oilers thankful for?

A stretch of home games.

The Oilers have struggled to get things going on the road this season, with a dismal 4-8-0 record when playing in another team’s barn. That fact hasn’t gelled well with their early schedule, which had them on the road for 11 of their first 19 games. Their longest stretch of home games in November was a four-game stretch early in the month when the team was facing an injury to McDavid and swirling questions about then-head coach Jay Woodcroft. Both factors weighed heavily on Edmonton and they fell 1-3-0 before having to get back on the road.

The cycle seemed to be continuing as they lost their first three games of their most recent road trip – a four-game-long trip around the eastern-US. But with a 5-0 win over the Washington Capitals to cap it off, the Oilers found their momentum just in time for their recent stretch of four home games, and one away game at the neighboring Winnipeg Jets. Edmonton has been on fire now that they’re back at Rogers Place, currently on a six-game winning streak that’s seen them outscore their opponents 31-to-11. They’ve been getting everything they could want in their recent outings, scoring an average of roughly five goals each game and seeing their goaltenders post a collective .947 save percentage.

After a dismal start to the season, the Oilers are now truly looking like a team that can challenge the best in the West. They have four more games at home before they embark on a six-game road trip in late-December. New head coach Kris Knoblauch will hope a strong stretch at home will be enough of a boost to amend the Oilers’ current luck on the road.

What would the Oilers be even more thankful for?

Consistent Goaltending.

The story of Edmonton’s early season has been one of underwhelming goaltending. The team has iced three different goalies this season, with all three recording a save percentage below .900. Starting goalie Stuart Skinner has managed a .888 through 19 games, en route to a 10-7-1 record. This is despite the Oilers facing a league-average xGA/60 (expected goals-against per-60) of 2.54, tied with Winnipeg for the 12th-best mark in the league, per Evolving Hockey. And while the former Calder Trophy runner-up Skinner has improved as of late – recording a .911 save percentage and 9-2-0 record in his last 11 games – there’s still reason to be uncertain in Edmonton’s crease. The Oilers are 3-12-1 when they allow three-or-more goals this season, emphasizing that the team is only as good as the goaltending that they receive. If they want to be true Stanley Cup-contenders, they’ll need to make sure their netminders are just as efficient as their scorers.

What should be on the Oilers holiday wish list?

A lucky trade offer.

The Oilers are clearly not far off from being a very scary team. Their top scorers – McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – are mostly performing as expected; the blueline has seen added help through the continued breakout of Evan Bouchard and the addition of Mattias Ekholm; and it seems Skinner is bringing some reliability back into the crease. But there still seems to be something holding back Edmonton from reaching their full potential. The team has six members of their forward group with fewer than eight points through their first 24 games and their defense seems to strike in waves.

But Edmonton has recently made former eighth-overall pick Philip Broberg available for a trade, something that could prove lucrative as many teams around the league look for a spark on defense. While Broberg’s professional career in North America is off to a choppy start, there are still teams around the league with high hopes for the 22-year-old defenseman. It helps that Broberg is on a cost-controlled deal, recording an $863K cap hit this season and set to become a restricted free agent next year. The right trade could be enough to patch one of the Oilers’ holes, whether it’s bringing in another depth-forward, providing more competition on defense, or adding support between the pipes. The NHL is gearing up for an exciting Trade Deadline and the Oilers could emerge from it with the plenty of hope for the future.

Evening Notes: Zadorov, Giordano, Hyman

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ESPN’s Kevin Weekes is reporting that there remains a lot of interest in Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Among the teams interested are the Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, and fresh off their cap-clearing trade, the Vancouver Canucks.

Zadorov requested a trade a few weeks ago and at the time his agent Dan Milstein had hoped for a quick resolution although one has yet to be reached. Trades have proven difficult this season due to so many teams being within a million dollars of the NHL salary cap ceiling. The Flames have reportedly told Zadorov that they are willing to move him but will be patient in the process as they wait for the right deal to come along.

Zadorov has a goal and five assists in 21 games so far this season while averaging over 18 minutes a night in ice time.

In other evening notes:

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that defenseman Mark Giordano will not return to tonight’s game due to an upper-body injury. It is unclear when Giordano sustained the injury as he had a shot on goal during his final shift and then remained on the ice until the Florida Panthers scored their first goal. The Maple Leafs’ defense core has been decimated by injuries which has forced Giordano to play in an elevated role after starting the season on the third pairing. The 40-year-old has a goal and four assists in 20 games this season and has an average 18:28 of ice time per game.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have announced that forward Zach Hyman won’t dress for tonight’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights due to an undisclosed illness. Hyman was a full participant in the team’s morning skate today taking his usual spot on the team’s top line but was not well enough to play this evening. Mattias Janmark was elevated into Hyman’s role alongside Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins which also opened a spot for Sam Gagner to be reinserted into the lineup. Hyman has been one of the Oilers’ most consistent players with 12 goals and 10 assists in 20 games this season.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Canucks, Knight

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The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, with Zach Hyman leading the way. The Edmonton Oilers swiss army knife had four goals and nine points in three games. Hyman has already flown past the 54 points he had last season and with every point is setting a new career high. It’s been an incredible run for the 30, who has been everything the Oilers hoped for (and more) when they signed him to a seven-year, $38.5MM deal in 2021.

Second and third place went to Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks, two players in very different stages of their careers. Stamkos reached the 500-goal mark last week, joining just 46 other players in the history of the NHL and essentially sealing his future in the Hall of Fame (if it was ever in doubt). Zegras, meanwhile, put up eight points in four games, taking his career total to 114. He’s got quite a way to catch the Lightning captain, but Zegras continues to excite fans every time he touches the puck.

  • The Vancouver Canucks now have three head coaches on the books, as they are still paying Travis Green, the bench boss that preceded the recently-fired Bruce Boudreau. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Tocchet’s deal is for two years and carries a $2.75MM salary, meaning altogether, the team is forking out $7.5MM this season for head coaches.
  • The Florida Panthers have swapped Mack Guzda and Spencer Knight once again, with the latter coming back up to the NHL. Knight hasn’t played in the NHL since January 8, but did quite well in his two-game conditioning stint, recording a 23-save shutout for the Charlotte Checkers in his first AHL game since last season.

Edmonton Oilers Place Tyson Barrie On IR, Activate Zach Hyman From Protocol

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The Edmonton Oilers announced a flurry of roster moves Thursday night. Left wing Zach Hyman has come off COVID protocol, defenseman Tyson Barrie lands on injured reserve, defenseman William Lagesson comes to the active roster to replace him, and goalie Olivier Rodrigue comes up from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors to the team’s taxi squad.

Hyman hasn’t played much in the last month or so due to injuries and COVID protocol, so his return to the lineup is much-anticipated. Through 32 games, the first-year Oiler has 11 goals and 20 assists for 21 points on the year. He’s one of four Oilers with ten goals, joining Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Jesse Puljujarvi.

Barrie exits the lineup just as the team’s defense had returned to full health. While not the world-beating production he had last year, Barrie still has 17 points in 35 games, playing mostly in a shielded role more suited to his defensive weaknesses.

The Oilers will likely have Lagesson enter the lineup, but he’s been used sparingly this year. In just 10 games, the Swedish defenseman has two assists and is averaging a meager 11:31 per game.

Rodrigue, the team’s 62nd overall selection in 2018, has a .886 save percentage in 13 games with Bakersfield this year.

Zach Hyman Has Agreement In Place With Edmonton Oilers

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July 28: Per PuckPedia, the breakdown of the deal is as follows:

2021-22: $1.55MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
2022-23: $5.1MM salary
2023-24: $7.65MM salary
2024-25: $7.7MM salary
2025-26: $5.425MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
2026-27: $2.175MM salary, $3MM signing bonus
2027-28: $2.65MM salary, $1.25MM signing bonus

The deal contains a full no-move clause in the first five seasons and a 21-team no-trade clause in the final two years.

July 24: The Oilers and Maple Leafs could not reach an agreement, according to Darren Dreger of TSN, so Hyman will wait to sign his contract when free agency opens on Wednesday. That limits the deal to seven years in length. Dreger also reports that the cap hit on a seven-year deal is $5.5MM.

July 23: After weeks of speculation, The Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan reports that the Edmonton Oilers have a contract agreement in place with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman. Whether or not the deal is a sign-and-trade or just an acquisition of rights remains to be seen, but it’s extremely likely at this point that the Oilers will be acquiring Hyman via trade prior to free agency opening July 28th.

Recent rumors would suggest that when all is said and done, Hyman will be signing a seven- or eight-year deal in Edmonton. Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reported yesterday that the cap hits on both deals would come in at around $5MM. Hyman has displayed the ability over the past few seasons to be one of the best complementary players in the NHL, something that could work wonders for their secondary scoring. Potentially playing on Edmonton’s top line with Connor McDavid and Jesse Puljujarvi has to be an extremely exciting prospect for Hyman, who’s likely getting more term and money in Edmonton than Toronto was ever prepared to offer him.

Toronto’s search to find a new top-six-caliber left-winger begins now if it hasn’t already. They’ve been linked in past weeks to Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi, who’d come much cheaper to the team than Hyman realistically ever would have. There’s also the long-shot big name in Gabriel Landeskog, who’s becoming estranged from the Colorado Avalanche in contract talks and could be looking for a new home. Regardless, the Maple Leafs have to look forward without Hyman, who’s been a core part of this team’s rise to regular-season success over the past half-decade.

Zach Hyman Meeting With Edmonton Oilers

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The Toronto Maple Leafs gave pending free agent Zach Hyman permission to speak with other teams around the league, and today he is in Edmonton meeting with the Oilers, according to Jason Gregor of TSN. The Oilers have had rumored interest in the Maple Leafs forward for a while, and Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tweets that there is still a possibility of a sign-and-trade agreement between the two teams, which would open up the possibility of an eight-year contract for Hyman. Only the Seattle Kraken, who had a 48-hour window which is now closed, and the Maple Leafs were eligible to offer Hyman an eight-year deal this summer.

Now 29, Hyman has been a heart-and-soul player for the Maple Leafs the past six seasons. He reached a career-high of 21 goals and 41 points in the 2018-19 season, but easily would have eclipsed those totals in either of the past two years had the schedule had not been shortened or had he not suffered injuries. In 2019-20 he scored 21 goals and 37 points in 51 games, while this year he tallied 15 goals and 33 points in 43 games. He has received Selke Trophy votes in three of his five full seasons, including one fourth-place vote this year. A contributor at both ends, Hyman has experience on the powerplay and is one of the top penalty-killers in the NHL.

Still, there is plenty of risk to the pending free agent. Not only would a lengthy contract take him well into his thirties, but Hyman has dealt with knee injuries over the last few years, even undergoing major surgery in 2019. There is no one who doubts Hyman’s effort—the fifth-round pick has worked extremely hard for every opportunity he’s been given at the NHL level—but it’s hard to see how he’ll continue to produce at a high level several years from now. His playstyle relies heavily on his speed and forechecking ability, as well as his willingness to absorb contact to win back or protect a puck. If any of those attributes decline, his effectiveness could be drastically reduced.

Even with that apparent risk, there seems to be a clear market for Hyman’s services. The Oilers are not the only team that has been linked to the free agent forward; the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Seattle Kraken have been attributed interest at least, though it’s not clear how many of these or other clubs Hyman has actually met with. Any deal will have to wait until tomorrow when the NHL transaction freeze opens up, and even then it would only occur if a trade with the Maple Leafs was worked out. Otherwise, Hyman will have to wait until July 28 like the rest of this year’s free agent crop.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Zach Hyman

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and Zach Hyman appear to be parting ways this summer, but it could potentially even happen before free agency opens later this month. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Maple Leafs have granted Hyman’s agent permission to speak with other clubs, opening the door for a trade of his rights before the open market. Dreger adds that there is “considerable interest” league-wide, but some would have to wait until the expansion draft passes to actually sign the pending UFA forward.

Last night, Pierre LeBrun explained on TSN that there was a “pretty sizable gap” in negotiations between Hyman and the Maple Leafs front office, noting that he believes on the open market Hyman could receive between $5.5-6MM (AAV) on the open market. That’s just isn’t possible for Toronto to hand out, especially on a long-term deal to a player that recently turned 29 and has dealt with major knee injuries over the past few seasons. There’s no doubt that Hyman could help the team, but with so much cap tied up in the team’s top forwards, paying him what he’ll receive elsewhere doesn’t make much sense.

Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest believes that no team will get Hyman to sign a contract of fewer than seven years, and lists the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and even the Seattle Kraken as potential teams of interest. The Maple Leafs are the only team that can currently offer him an eight-year deal, but could potentially work out a sign-and-trade with one of the other clubs. The Kraken would get a chance to speak with him ahead of the expansion draft as well and could offer an eight-year deal, though that would mean forfeiting their pick from the Maple Leafs roster.

Hyman has been an excellent player for the Maple Leafs the last several years, scoring at a high rate in shortened seasons. After returning from ACL surgery in 2019-20, he scored 21 goals and 37 points in 51 games before the season was shut down. This year, he had 15 goals and 33 points in 43 games, but again fell victim to a knee injury that kept him out for part of the season. He did return in time for the playoffs, but registered just a single goal in seven games against the Montreal Canadiens, despite averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time.

The Maple Leafs are likely saying goodbye to several pending free agents this summer, but getting back an asset out of a Hyman trade would certainly lessen the blow. The team has one of the lowest values in the league in terms of 2021 draft capital, with just three picks to make this year. With a healthy free agent market and rumors swirling about Tyler Bertuzzi, Hyman could be replaced, though it remains to be seen how taking one of the league’s best forecheckers out of the lineup will affect the rest of their highly-paid forwards.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Maple Leafs Notes: Hyman, Andersen, Bogosian

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have a few key free agents scheduled to hit the open market later this month, with no one more important than Zach Hyman. The Toronto native has turned himself from a fifth-round afterthought into a legitimate top-six option, able to play both wings and score at a high rate. Hyman had 15 goals and 33 points in 43 games this season while also being a key member of the team’s top penalty-killing unit. That success should lead to a big raise this summer, but it appears as though the Maple Leafs and Hyman’s camp aren’t close on a number that works for both sides.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that there is a “sizeable gap in positions,” suggesting that Hyman will indeed hit the open market on July 28. The 29-year-old will likely be one of the top options for many teams looking for forward help because of his versatility, but that will also leave a pretty sizable hole in the Maple Leafs lineup. Of course, as with any of the free agents Toronto is dealing with, any contract before the expansion draft would put the team in a tough situation protection-wise.

  • LeBrun also tweets out that there have been talks between the Maple Leafs and free agent netminder Frederik Andersen, but no contract offer to this point. Obviously, Toronto wouldn’t want to sign Andersen before the expansion draft, but it does appear as though he will at least test the market even though there is mutual interest for a reunion. The Maple Leafs frankly just don’t have the cap space to commit much money to Andersen if Jack Campbell is penciled in as the team’s starter, meaning he very well could be looking at a much more lucrative offer on the open market.
  • While Hyman and Andersen represent core pieces that have been in Toronto for a while, there are many other unrestricted free agents on the Toronto roster who could be brought back as depth pieces. One of those is Zach Bogosian, who brought some stability to the third pairing for the Maple Leafs last season and is now a free agent once again at the age of 30. Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun reports that though there have been talks between the two sides, it seems likely that Bogosian will test the open market as well, which makes a lot of sense for a player that earned just $1MM on his one-year deal in Toronto. Bogosian is still young enough to earn a multi-year deal, is coming off a Stanley Cup with the Lightning and a strong campaign with the Maple Leafs, and is that always-enticing mix of physical and right-handed. For a Maple Leafs team that can’t overspend on the margins, he may be priced out of their reach.

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