Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman will be sidelined for as long as two weeks while dealing with an injury that team officials have not disclosed, head coach Kris Knoblauch announced to media on Saturday.
The 33-year-old veteran has been battling through the injury while continuing to play, recording 51 points this season with 31 goals and 20 assists across 57 games. Hyman logged 16 minutes and 40 seconds of ice time during Thursday’s 3-1 victory against Chicago at home.
“If this was a playoff game, he’d be playing,” Knoblauch explained following Saturday’s morning practice session. “We feel it’s best to give him some rest and let him be healthy and not aggravate anything.”
“A lot of our players are going through something, but it’s something that wasn’t getting better and we wanted to give him some rest (so he) can heal and then he can be 100 percent for the playoffs. Whether that’s five days or 14 days, something in that window, then we should be good.”
Throughout his NHL career spanning 710 games between Toronto (2015-21) and Edmonton (2021-present), Hyman has accumulated 494 points with 261 goals and 233 assists. The Florida Panthers selected him in the fifth round of the 2010 draft.
Meanwhile, star player Leon Draisaitl, who has been recovering from a lower-body injury since March 15, is scheduled to return to skating practice next week when the team travels for a three-game road series, according to Knoblauch. Initial expectations were that the German forward would remain out for the remainder of the regular season.
The 30-year-old Draisaitl ranks second on Edmonton’s scoring chart with 97 points, including 35 goals and 62 assists in 65 games this campaign. The former Hart Memorial Trophy winner from 2019-20 has earned three All-Star selections during his 12-year career.
Selected third overall by Edmonton in 2014, Draisaitl has amassed 1,053 career points with 434 goals and 619 assists over 855 NHL contests.
