The Edmonton Oilers are close to getting some help back, and it could arrive in a hurry.
Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 reported that Zach Hyman is expected to play in Utah on Saturday night, while Colton Dach and Jake Walman are almost “very likely” to suit up as well. Gregor also said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is expected back next week against Carolina, with Jason Dickinson projected to return during the coming homestand.
There is a roster wrinkle attached to Dach’s return. As Gregor put it: “Dach is on IR, so when activated, EDM needs to make a roster move. Could just put Dickinson on IR retroactive to last Tuesday and he’d be eligible to play this coming Tuesday.”
For an Oilers team that has been leaning hard on its stars, the timing matters. Edmonton has had very little offensive push in its last two games, and almost all of what it did generate came from the McDavid-Draisaitl line.
Against Utah, the Oilers managed just seven grade A shots. Against Los Angeles, they had 11.
That stands out even more because Edmonton has averaged about 16 grade A shots per game over the past five seasons.
The good news is that the injury-hit group has still been doing enough to win. Edmonton has five wins and only two losses despite being without Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, Matt Savoie, Jason Dickinson, Frederic Andersen and Walman entirely or for long stretches. Those six were all expected to be part of Edmonton’s Core 12 before the season began.
There has also been a defensive edge to the early-season work. Even short-handed, the Oilers held Los Angeles to 11 grade A shots and Utah to 10, which fits the improvement seen under Mike Babcock’s system.
Of course, getting players back is only part of the story. How they look once they return will matter just as much.
Hyman is a good example. He came back from injury last November and immediately looked like himself again.
But after getting banged up in March, his play slipped by his standards before he sat out the final weeks of the regular season. When he returned for the playoffs, he was still clearly affected and kept struggling.
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