There were encouraging signs on the ice Wednesday morning for the Oilers, even if the lineup picture against the Flames still had some movement to it.
Zach Hyman was out at the Downtown Community Arena, where he was taking shots on injured goalie Devon Levi. Both players are on injured reserve, but Hyman’s appearance suggested his situation is trending better than it first looked. That was the word from Babcock, who downplayed the early worry around the winger’s setback.
“It’s way better than we thought. It’s a stiff neck,” said Babcock.
“We’re being extra cautious with Zach. Originally when you see it, you think it’s a head thing.”
The Oilers had originally listed Hyman with an upper-body issue after he left following the first league game, and the early read around the team was that concussion concerns were part of the picture. Wednesday’s update pointed in a more optimistic direction.
There could also be help on the way at centre. Jason Dickinson may be ready to come off designation and return against Calgary after appearing in only three of the last 12 games.
On the back end, though, the Oilers are making a change. Veteran defenceman Jake Walman will sit out Wednesday night, with Mattias Ekholm set to return after missing two games. Edmonton is also not pulling Shakir Mukhamadullin out of the lineup after what Babcock viewed as a strong Detroit performance beside Evan Bouchard.
Walman’s scratch comes at a time when the Oilers had hoped he might handle some of Ekholm’s minutes this season. Instead, the 36-year-old Ekholm has been the steady force, sitting at plus-15 and logging around 21 minutes a night, most often next to Bouchard.
Walman has instead spent more time on the third pair, lining up as the left-shot defender with Ryan Shea, while right-shot Connor Murphy has worked in the 3-4 slot. For a player making $7 million and beginning a seven-year deal, that’s not the ideal setup, especially from a cap perspective, if you’re GM Stan Bowman, the man who signed him.
Still, Shea has outperformed expectations, Ekholm has been excellent, and Babcock has been intrigued by Mukhamadullin, the 24-year-old former first-round pick who arrived from San Jose in the Darnell Nurse deal.
In Other News...
Flames May Have Found The Blue-Line Duo That Changes Everything
The Flames kept rolling with a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, their fourth straight victory and fifth in six games, and the result offered another glimpse of how much cleaner this team has looked on the back end. Calgary has spent much of its retooling effort on the blue line, and the early returns have made that focus easy to see in the standings as well as in the structure of the game.
Ryan Huska singled out imon Nemec for the way he has settled in and complemented Kevin Bahl, a pairing that has started to give Calgary something it has been searching for: a dependable shutdown option it can trust in tougher minutes. Nemecs arrival came with plenty of expectation because of the price paid to bring him in and the commitment the organization made afterward, and the next step is seeing whether this duo can keep turning solid nights into something more lasting for the Flames. [Read more 🡒]
Devin Cooley Just Gave Flames Fans Another Viral Moment
Devin Cooley has given Flames fans plenty to smile about lately, and not just because the crease has belonged to him over the past four games. Calgary has strung together consecutive wins with Cooley as the starter, and the goalie has become a little more than a postgame footnote thanks to the way he carries himself after the final horn. His interviews have caught fire online, turning him into the kind of unexpected breakout personality that can follow a hot stretch almost as closely as the save percentage.
Cooley has talked openly about his mental approach to the game, which has only added to the intrigue around his recent run. The attention has grown enough that he has even popped up on ESPNs SportsCenter, where his responses have helped fuel the viral momentum around him. For a Flames team looking for stability in net, the on-ice results matter most, but Cooleys rapid rise as a must-watch interview has become part of the story too. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Prospect Is Giving Calgary Real Hope On A Troubling Draft Trend
The Flames have had a hard time getting real value out of second-round picks since 2015, which is why Theo Stockselius already carries a little extra weight as a recent selection. Calgary is hoping the Swedish forward can help tilt that conversation in a better direction, and his early work with Djurgrdens IF in the Swedish Hockey League has offered a reason to pay attention.
Stockselius is getting meaningful ice time in Sweden, and Flames director of player development Ray Edwards has pointed to the growing effect he is having on the game, especially around the offensive side of things. Calgary will still want to see the development continue before drawing any firm conclusions, but for a franchise searching for second-round help, his progression is at least giving the organization something it has not had enough of in that draft slot: genuine optimism. [Read more 🡒]