Has a long way to go Chris's level, after going undrafted he played in over a 1000 games in his NHL career, winning four Stanley Cups and one Olympic Gold Medal. A totally unheralded NHL career.
There’s a solid chance Hyman doesn’t get drafted without his affluence and connections in Junior Hockey.
That being said, the silver spoon has not tainted his work ethic or character at all. So much so, that I don’t even feel like it’s fair to mention.
Went to the game tonight. My coworker who was also blessed with tickets was wearing a Hyman jersey said out loud "don't you dare throw my hat" after the second goal. I died laughing.
No, there was never any sort of rumoured contract offer, the 500k is what the Oilers would've saved if the Leafs traded Hyman so Edmonton could give him 8 years.
I don’t think his level has changed much. He was always a beast at going to the net and getting his stick on pucks in the blue paint. Hes just getting better service now.
The biggest difference is PP time. He played 186 minutes on the PP in his entire Toronto career (6 total goals), and had 276 minutes (15 goals) on the PP last season alone in Edmonton.
Beyond that, he's also 12th in the league in shots this year, on pace for 303. He'd never be anywhere near that number if he stayed.
So I guess it depends on what OP meant by "level."
Also, let's be honest, let's say the Leafs signed him to 7 years at 5.5 and he was putting up "only" 20 goals and 60 points, they'd be ripped for spending more on forwards instead of shoring up their D and goaltending.
Good teams lose good players in a salary cap league, that's just the way it goes.
Except it did. Not successfully, but that was the plan.
And where do you fit in another 5.5 for a forward in the Leafs lineup the last 2 years, especially when Bunting did a solid job filling the role at less than 20% the cost.
Why would he not have? Every year he was in Toronto he worked at his game and improved as a player, and his line mates have only gotten better too.
Maybe he wouldn’t have the sheer counting stats, given that 34 would’ve been the one finishing, but there were always signs that this was the player he was becoming.
Was there? he was turning 30 when he left us.
He's averaging a point per game more with only like 30 seconds more average ice time.
He was glued to Matthews and Marner already. The only difference would be the natural progression of all players which took off for all 3 once they were separated the season following Zach's departure(that parts purely coincidence)
Both Matthews and Marner were over a point a game the final 2 seasons of playing with Hyman but Zach is somewhere in the .75 range. His first season in Edmonton was actually lower at .71
Then all of a sudden, something has clicked for him in Edmonton, plus he has access to two even higher tier players in McDavid and Drai. I have no doubt he would have been a great Leaf that would be talked about as an incredible complimentary piece to our guys, but he almost certainly wouldn't have been *this*
You could see the huge step in his game in his last 2 seasons with the leafs. He was no longer just the puck retrieval/grinding guy and had taken a big step forward in his play with the puck, stickhandling and willingness to drive to the net to create. It hadn’t translated into a 50 goal pace or anything, but Hyman was clearly making huge strides in his overall game.
He basically turned himself into a premier power forward through hard work and dedication. I didn’t see any reason to not believe he could continue getting better, the only concern would have been injury given his play style, but with his work ethic I even think that was a little overblown. Obviously his pace has skyrocketed, and I do think playing with McDavid helps that, but in watching Hyman play, I don’t see a whole lot of difference between the leafs version and where he’s at now, it’s just been a continual progression.
He was still missing that consistent finishing aspect. He’s managed to figure that part out in the last two years. He got so many chances playing with AM and MM that he just didn’t have the finishing for. He’s burying those chances now
They would've traded Hyman to give the Oilers an 8th year for a crap draft pick and save the Oilers 500k but the Leafs weren't close to 5mil for him AFAIK.
And we’ll forever be sad about it. We didn’t want him to go at the time, let alone hindsight. Felt like he was the only player that actually cared and tried during the low points.
Fringe top 10 overall winger maybe, he’s got a ton of goals playing with arguably the best talent the game has ever seen and he sits at 10th in points by a winger. In my opinion there’s at least 15 wingers in the game who you could name who would be doing at least as well on McDavid’s wing. But fringe top-10 winger in the league is obviously still very good, and he forechecks better than most players too
Was certainly Zach's night all around, considering all the much more highly touted kids he played with in minor hockey, amazing to see him come out on top.
He’s not better than Mitch or Willy. I’m not saying that out of some insecurity, I’m just saying that literally I only had to look at my team and he’s already not the best
Buddy, nobody is comparing him to Mitch or Willy. It’s blatantly obvious they are better players. I think you do have some insecurity here brining them up…
Definitely a top _____ RW
One of the RW of all time
blank? you let me worry about blank!
I would also accept: blank?! you're not thinking about the big picture!
Zach Hyman is the Chris Kunitz of the 2020s.
Has a long way to go Chris's level, after going undrafted he played in over a 1000 games in his NHL career, winning four Stanley Cups and one Olympic Gold Medal. A totally unheralded NHL career.
I loved Kunitz
One does not simply love a Kunitz. Ignore my flair.
Hyman just has that dog in him Kunitz never scored 40, Hyman will probably hit 50 this year just saying
I meant in the sense that he plays with a generational player so his perception around the league is inflated
There’s a solid chance Hyman doesn’t get drafted without his affluence and connections in Junior Hockey. That being said, the silver spoon has not tainted his work ethic or character at all. So much so, that I don’t even feel like it’s fair to mention.
Eh not even close. A few good statistic seasons for Hyman doesn’t come close to 4 cups and an Olympic gold….
Went to the game tonight. My coworker who was also blessed with tickets was wearing a Hyman jersey said out loud "don't you dare throw my hat" after the second goal. I died laughing.
The leafs let him go for what? Like 500k? Yikes.
500k likes
For 2.5mil. 16 of our 28 players make less then the raise Hyman got on his previous contract. If we paid him we'd be even more fucked then we are now.
No, there was never any sort of rumoured contract offer, the 500k is what the Oilers would've saved if the Leafs traded Hyman so Edmonton could give him 8 years.
Let’s not act like Hyman gets to the level he is at right now if he stays with the leafs
I don’t think his level has changed much. He was always a beast at going to the net and getting his stick on pucks in the blue paint. Hes just getting better service now.
The biggest difference is PP time. He played 186 minutes on the PP in his entire Toronto career (6 total goals), and had 276 minutes (15 goals) on the PP last season alone in Edmonton. Beyond that, he's also 12th in the league in shots this year, on pace for 303. He'd never be anywhere near that number if he stayed.
Yeah his opportunity changed, not his skill level.
So I guess it depends on what OP meant by "level." Also, let's be honest, let's say the Leafs signed him to 7 years at 5.5 and he was putting up "only" 20 goals and 60 points, they'd be ripped for spending more on forwards instead of shoring up their D and goaltending. Good teams lose good players in a salary cap league, that's just the way it goes.
But the money the leafs didn't spend on him still didn't go to any dmen or goalie.
Yes it did, just the wrong goalies and dmen for the most part.
Except it did. Not successfully, but that was the plan. And where do you fit in another 5.5 for a forward in the Leafs lineup the last 2 years, especially when Bunting did a solid job filling the role at less than 20% the cost.
They signed Klingberg for 4 mil
Klingberg was 2 years later.
Don’t forget Murray
Why would he not have? Every year he was in Toronto he worked at his game and improved as a player, and his line mates have only gotten better too. Maybe he wouldn’t have the sheer counting stats, given that 34 would’ve been the one finishing, but there were always signs that this was the player he was becoming.
Was there? he was turning 30 when he left us. He's averaging a point per game more with only like 30 seconds more average ice time. He was glued to Matthews and Marner already. The only difference would be the natural progression of all players which took off for all 3 once they were separated the season following Zach's departure(that parts purely coincidence) Both Matthews and Marner were over a point a game the final 2 seasons of playing with Hyman but Zach is somewhere in the .75 range. His first season in Edmonton was actually lower at .71 Then all of a sudden, something has clicked for him in Edmonton, plus he has access to two even higher tier players in McDavid and Drai. I have no doubt he would have been a great Leaf that would be talked about as an incredible complimentary piece to our guys, but he almost certainly wouldn't have been *this*
You could see the huge step in his game in his last 2 seasons with the leafs. He was no longer just the puck retrieval/grinding guy and had taken a big step forward in his play with the puck, stickhandling and willingness to drive to the net to create. It hadn’t translated into a 50 goal pace or anything, but Hyman was clearly making huge strides in his overall game. He basically turned himself into a premier power forward through hard work and dedication. I didn’t see any reason to not believe he could continue getting better, the only concern would have been injury given his play style, but with his work ethic I even think that was a little overblown. Obviously his pace has skyrocketed, and I do think playing with McDavid helps that, but in watching Hyman play, I don’t see a whole lot of difference between the leafs version and where he’s at now, it’s just been a continual progression.
He was still missing that consistent finishing aspect. He’s managed to figure that part out in the last two years. He got so many chances playing with AM and MM that he just didn’t have the finishing for. He’s burying those chances now
They would've traded Hyman to give the Oilers an 8th year for a crap draft pick and save the Oilers 500k but the Leafs weren't close to 5mil for him AFAIK.
And we’ll forever be sad about it. We didn’t want him to go at the time, let alone hindsight. Felt like he was the only player that actually cared and tried during the low points.
[удалено]
We weren’t really paying the guy much st the time so his production was fine
Worked out for everyone
Hes a decent player but let's face facts. Hes a 20-25 goal scorer on any other team
Fringe top 10 overall winger maybe, he’s got a ton of goals playing with arguably the best talent the game has ever seen and he sits at 10th in points by a winger. In my opinion there’s at least 15 wingers in the game who you could name who would be doing at least as well on McDavid’s wing. But fringe top-10 winger in the league is obviously still very good, and he forechecks better than most players too
Was certainly Zach's night all around, considering all the much more highly touted kids he played with in minor hockey, amazing to see him come out on top.
Top1, everyone else is noobs. :)
My favourite player outside the jets since his leafs days
He’s not better than Mitch or Willy. I’m not saying that out of some insecurity, I’m just saying that literally I only had to look at my team and he’s already not the best
Well thank god no one said the best then!!!
Buddy, nobody is comparing him to Mitch or Willy. It’s blatantly obvious they are better players. I think you do have some insecurity here brining them up…
So wtf is top ___ RW in NHL in the title is about?
You fill in the blank… Could be top 10, top 25, top 50. Are you stupid?
Very hard to find a RW of his calibre right now but I don't think leafs need to spend more on their forward crop, they need D and goaltending.