The Edmonton Oilers spent the offseason picking apart a season that never really got off the ground, and Zach Hyman didn’t sugarcoat the diagnosis.
On a Monday morning appearance on TSN 1050 with Carlo Colaiacovo and Aaron Korolnek, Hyman said the group knows it was nowhere near good enough after a year that started slowly and never turned into the kind of run Edmonton had built in recent seasons.
“We can be way better,” Hyman said. “It was an up-and-down year. I started the year on the [injured reserve] for the first 20 games, and I think just throughout the whole year, I think it took us almost until February/March to win three games in a row.
“We never could find our footing.”
That lack of rhythm carried all the way into the playoffs. The Oilers, who had reached the Stanley Cup Final in each of the previous two seasons, were expected to find another gear once the postseason arrived. Instead, they were bounced in the first round by the underdog Anaheim Ducks in six games, a result that landed just about as badly as it could outside of missing the playoffs entirely.
This summer brought a major change behind the bench, with Edmonton hiring Mike Babcock as its new head coach. Hyman, who previously played for Babcock with the Toronto Maple Leafs, said he’s comfortable with the move and not bothered by the outside noise around it.
It’s a familiar connection for Hyman, and one that’s been in the spotlight for another reason as well: he recently hired Babcock’s son, Michael, to coach the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs. Hyman has owned the Bulldogs since January 2025.
“It was really important that the NHL and the PA did the process that they needed to do, and obviously he was cleared to coach again,” Hyman said. “As players, you talk to other players, and you get a sense of things around the league.
“As players, we were all comfortable with Babs and with what he brought, and we think that it’s something that’s going to be very good for our group.”
Edmonton also made a notable roster move by sending longtime defenceman Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks in a cap-clearing trade. Hyman called that kind of departure tough, especially when it involves a player who had spent his entire career with one team.
“Those are always hard; there is a lot of turnover in hockey, it’s just part of the nature of the sport. It’s a lot harder when it’s someone who has been here for a long time and has only played for one team,” Hyman said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for him… I think for him he’s got an unbelievable opportunity with a young team in San Jose and they’re super lucky to have a guy like that in their room.
“We still believe we’re a team that if we get hot, we can win. We’ve been there before.”
With August closing in, the Oilers are nearing the point where talk gives way to skates, and Hyman’s message was clear: last season was a mess, but he still sees a group that believes it can turn things around.
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