Zach Hyman may end up being one of the most important players in the Oilers’ next stretch of hockey, and not just because of what he does on the ice.
Hyman was one of the voices that helped bring Mike Babcock into Edmonton, pointing to Babcock’s knack for fitting players into his lineups and speaking positively about his coaching despite the criticism and controversy surrounding him. That connection now hangs over both Hyman and the Oilers as the season approaches.
The stakes are obvious when you look at Hyman’s contract. He is heading into the penultimate season of the deal he signed after leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs for Edmonton, a contract that carries a $5.5 million cap hit and runs through the end of the 2027-28 campaign, when he will already be 36.
Age aside, Hyman is still producing. Last season he put up 52 points in 58 games, and his 31 goals were four more than the 27 he scored in the 2024-25 campaign. He has also posted a positive +/- rating in each of the last four seasons.
That kind of output matters even more in Edmonton because of the standard that comes with playing alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The expectation is not just strong numbers.
It is a Cup. So far, that hasn’t happened, even after two shortcomings, and Hyman’s support of the Babcock hire looks tied to the idea of pushing the team toward that goal.
The relationship between Hyman and Babcock is not hard to understand. Hyman had positive experiences with him in Toronto, and Babcock’s coaching résumé still carries real weight, whatever people think of him personally. From Hyman’s perspective, backing a coach he knows and trusts could also be part of a push for another 70-plus-point season, which would help the Oilers and strengthen the case for Babcock’s success in Edmonton.
Still, the bigger question may not be whether the hire itself defines Hyman’s future. It may come down to how the organization responds once the games start counting. The early reaction has been somewhat positive, but training camp has only just started and no competitive hockey has been played under Babcock yet.
Once the season gets rolling, the focus will shift to how the players handle his system. Past Babcock teams have been built to defend hard, close space quickly and play two-way hockey for 60 minutes, and sometimes longer. The Oilers will have the speed, but whether they can defend is another matter.
If they can’t, and if the group starts to fade under a system that demands 110% and your passion for the game, the season could go sideways in a hurry. Hyman has already been held up as an example of a player who can succeed under Babcock, which leaves little room for error if the team runs into trouble.
And if the whole thing flops, with The Mike Babcock Saga ending after one season in Edmonton, that could be enough to leave Hyman and others wondering whether the Oilers are any closer to winning the Cup.
In Other News...
Former Oilers Playoff Hero Could Soon Face A Familiar Kind Of Pressure
Mike Talbot is getting another chance to step into a pressure-packed crease, this time with the Columbus Blue Jackets after two seasons in Detroit. The veteran goaltender once helped the Oilers end a 10-year playoff drought, and he now lands in a familiar kind of environment: a team trying to climb back into the postseason picture while leaning on experienced hands to stabilize the position.
Columbus' goaltending depth chart is a little more open than usual, with Jet Greaves and Phoenix Copley in the mix while Elvis Merzlikins recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. For Talbot, that creates both an opportunity and an expectation, because this is the sort of situation where a steady stretch in net can matter far beyond the regular season. He has been here before with Edmonton, and the Blue Jackets are hoping he can help them chase the same kind of breakthrough. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Are Playing A Risky Waiting Game With Matt Savoie
Matt Savoies contract situation has become one of those summer business items the Oilers would probably prefer to resolve quietly, but the longer it lingers, the more it fits into a league-wide pattern of players and teams feeling their way through a changing market. Stan Bowman has been upfront enough to indicate this is not a panic point for Edmonton, even with negotiations delayed and the salary landscape still shifting around the NHL.
For the Oilers, the gamble is in the timing as much as the dollars. A recent flurry of CBA-deadline deals has helped inflate the marketplace, and Edmonton may be willing to wait for some of that noise to fade before settling on the terms that matter most for Savoie. It is a patient approach, but in a cap world where every small edge counts, waiting too long can be just as risky as moving too early. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Babcock May Be Changing How The Oilers Use Their Forwards
Training camp is opening with more than the usual roster questions for the Oilers, because Mike Babcocks arrival points to a different kind of structure up front. Edmonton is set to hold a media availability as camp begins, and it should offer the first real clues about how the new coach intends to deploy his forwards, from line combinations to how much responsibility different groups will carry in a game.
The interesting part is not just who skates with whom, but how the matchups might be handled when the games start mattering. Jason Dickinson is one name to watch, since he could end up in a checking role against top opponents, while the rest of the forward group may see a reworked distribution of ice time as Babcock shapes the lineup around tougher assignment management. [Read more 🡒]