It is an easy argument to make that the absence of Zach Hyman late in the playoffs was one of the major contributing factors to the eventual Stanley Cup Final loss. His energy, drive, work ethic, and playstyle were noticably missing from the team. The Edmonton Oilers looked flat for most of the Cup Final, though it is admittedly difficult to get any momentum going when the officiating keeps ripping pages out of the rulebook on a whim.
Shortly after he sustained a major wrist injury, speculation began once we realized the recovery timetable for his injury extended past mid-October. There was a very realistic chance that Hyman would not be ready for opening night. And if he was technically ready, given the ligament damage he likely suffered with this injury, he certainly wouldn’t be at 100%. Given his playstyle and tendency to engage in high-contact battles, a lingering wrist weakness would not bode well for him.
One of Hyman’s biggest roles on the team is playing on the first power play unit. He can plant himself in front of the net and basically act as a backboard or rebound collector. That is basically a major niche role for him or someone of his playstyle and talent level. But what happens if he is not ready for opening night? As of a recent update on Sportsnet, Hyman had yet to even shoot a puck as of early September.
“Would I love to start in Game 1? Of course. Will I start Game 1? I don’t know. Not sure yet,” Hyman said this week. “I’ve got another month-ish to get there, which is a long time in the rehab world. Or a short time, depending on how you look at it.”
If Hyman is unable to play on opening night, and let’s be candid here, if he is not 100% there is no reason to push him back early, what can the Oilers do to fill the void on the first power play unit? Here are a few options they could consider.
Trent Frederic can prove his big contract was worth it
The big trade deadline acquisition from the 2024–25 season signed himself a big contract in the offseason. Trent Frederic inked an eight-year extension with a $3.85M AAV. With such a small sample size at the end of last season, featuring an early return from injury in which he left reinjured after just a few shifts and an underwhelming playoff run with him clearly still being hurt, we do not really know what Frederic can provide to the lineup.
To add on to that, there is now some pressure on him to perform and live up to such a lengthy contract extension. Since he will be in Edmonton for a very long time, getting on the good side of Oil Country early will be important.
One way that Frederic can accomplish this is by performing well in a role on the first power play unit, replacing Hyman while he heals up. After all, the scouting reports suggest that these two have fairly similar playstyles, with Frederic maybe being a bit more physically inclined than Hyman. Though after Hyman’s play in the playoffs, leading the league in hits, there may not be much of a difference.
If Frederic were to get a chance in this role, the strategy for the unit would barely have to change, making it a fairly seamless transition. He can basically plant himself in front of the net and handle rebounds or deflections in a similar way to Hyman.
Matthew Savoie/Isaac Howard get a chance to rack up some Calder Trophy scoring stats
It has been a while since the Oilers have had any exciting and highly talented rookie enter the lineup, nevermind two in one season. But, this year we might get to see both of Matthew Savoie and Isaac Howard make an impact in big roles on the NHL roster. Could one of them feature highly on the power play to start the season? If Hyman is out, that would be a perfect opportunity to test this out.
Although unlikely in what might be a star-studded Calder Trophy class, some time on the top power play unit might help get Savoie or Howard into this year’s Rookie of the Year conversation. This unit is bound to help pad those stats and keep them near the rookie scoring lead.
Savoie might have the upper hand as a slightly more experienced professional who played a big role in the AHL last season with ice time in all situations. His vision and hockey senses could be a good fit as a play creator on the power play, a great compliment to work some magic with McDavid as they figure out how to get Draisaitl the puck along the goal line.
But Howard’s shot and scoring touch could be a situational fit in a time of needing to pepper the opposing goalie with shots. A dual threat with Draisaitl.
Regardless of which of those two might get this chance, the power play strategy would have to adjust a bit as neither of them would be utilized as a net front presence and could create a bit too much perimetre play with no one on rebounds.
Vasily Podkolzin looks to find a scoring touch
In a similar frame of mind as Frederic filling in on the first power play unit is Vasily Podkolzin. Much like Frederic, Podkolzin also has a similar skillset and could fill in seamlessly.
Podkolzin, in his first season in Edmonton, did not quite have the same scoring touch as Hyman, so this could reduce the efficiency of the power play unit. But, Leon Draisaitl is very open about how much he enjoys playing with Podkolzin on his line. He appreciates his battle, drive, and how much easier Podkolzin makes the game by freeing up space and contributing in ways that may not appear on the scoresheet.
Because of this, there may be a fit, with a small tweak to give Podkolzin’s skillset of board battles and grinding out possession more of a focus. The hope would be that time on the top power play line would boost Podkolzin’s offensive numbers, as well.
Jake Walman and the two defender option
This is not a common set-up in the NHL anymore, especially for a first power play unit. Usually, teams go with four forwards and just one defender, and even five forwards as we’ve seen a couple of teams test out recently. The Oilers, however, will still regularly use two defenders on the second power play line, with both Darnell Nurse and Mattias Ekholm taking the ice together at times.
The most likely quarterback for the second power play unit will now be Jake Walman, who has a very offensively inclined playstyle from the back end, but has still shown enough defensive talent to be the only defender on the ice.
This might be a completely out-of-pocket suggestion, but what if both Walman and Evan Bouchard line up on the top power play unit? Imagine having two absolute bomb options for one-timers from the point.
A group like this would require the entire power play strategy be revamped, as having two defenders and no net front presence would inevitably lead to a lot of perimetre play with blocked point shots. But with the speed and attention that Connor McDavid and Draisaitl draw, an active line with players sliding through the middle of the ice to draw defenders out of position momentarily could create the openings required to make this work.
As much as it hurts the lineup as a whole to be missing Zach Hyman for any length of time, the Oilers do luckily have a few options on the roster to try out to keep their power play going. They have some players with a similar skillset, like Frederic and Podkolzin, who may be able to mimic the role Hyman plays. Or, they could go with a modified style to let one of the rookies get a chance on the top unit. As much as teams do not do this anymore on the top power play unit, with two offensively talented defenders like Jake Walman and Evan Bouchard on the team, maybe they change things up and let two defenders out there just to see what happens.
What would you do to the first power play unit in Hyman’s absence? Drop a comment down below!
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
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