Who Steps Up For The Edmonton Oilers In Zach Hyman's Role?
It's clear now the Edmonton Oilers must go with a 'next man up' mentality after likely losing Zach Hyman for the rest of the playoffs.
An upper-body injury and surgery mean the Oilers must fill his skates as best as possible.
The concern is that Edmonton doesn't have another Hyman on their roster. Few can do what Hyman does, which includes piling up high-danger chances, hits, rebound opportunities and timely goals.
Jeff Skinner may get the call to join the Oilers' lineup Thursday night. That doesn't mean he's best suited to fill in for Hyman, and asking him to play that role might be asking too much.
Here are three players in particular who could be up to the task.
The simplest solution is to bump Evander Kane up in the lineup and bring in another left winger to play where Kane was on the third line.
Kane has many of the same tools Hyman displayed throughout these playoffs: he can hit, score and think the game well enough to play with someone like Connor McDavid.
Kane likes to shoot. That's the biggest strength he brings to that top line. He's not as fast as Hyman, which is an issue, but his hockey smarts and ability to keep the game simple, going north and south, are enough reasons to think he can handle the job.
Kane has surprised many with how well he's played after missing a full season due to recovering from injuries. He'll be motivated.
One of the pleasant surprises of the playoffs, Kasperi Kapanen wasn't necessarily a shoo-in to play post-season games. He came in to replace Viktor Arvidsson and hasn't left the lineup since.
He's fast, can score and knows his role. While he only has 26 hits, it's important to note he's gotten those hits in six games versus the 15 everyone else has played. His hits-per-60-minutes rate ranks him fourth among Oilers players who appeared in multiple playoff games so far.
Kapanen gets the nod here over Vasily Podkolzin because of his finishing ability. Podkolzin has chemistry with Leon Draisaitl, but he doesn't necessarily have the hands like Hyman does.
Edmonton Oilers Have A Big Hole Without Hyman, But Their Depth Is Up To The Task The Edmonton Oilers come out of Tuesday's Game 4 win with the prospect of returning to the Stanley Cup final and avenging last year's loss.
A longer shot to jump this high up the depth chart, Trent Frederic could get the opportunity of a lifetime in Game 5.
Without Hyman and Connor Brown, Frederic saw some time in Game 4 with McDavid while Hyman was out. He didn't look out of place.
Another player who likes to take the body, Frederic can score, even though his one goal this post-season doesn't show it. He had 18 goals last season with a 14.6 shooting percentage, which showed some potential.
It might be asking a lot to go from the fourth line to the top, but Frederic can be a difference-maker, and he doesn't mind mixing it up in front of the net, where Hyman has made a living.
This scenario is a short-leash situation. If Frederic impresses everyone, he gives the Oilers great depth throughout the rest of their lines. If Frederic struggles to keep up, coach Kris Knoblauch should waste no time in realizing another option might be a better fit.
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