Zach Hyman joins exclusive club of Oilers goal-scorers
When the Edmonton Oilers signed Zach Hyman in the summer of 2021, nobody thought that he would be anything more than a consistent 40- to 50-point guy.
Yet, after scoring two more goals against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night, Hyman officially became a 40-goal scorer for the first time in his career. This shatters his previous career high of 36 that he scored last season.
Surprisingly, he’s the only player in the NHL right now, not named Auston Matthews, to hit the 40-goal plateau so far this season.
Zach Hyman ties it up with his 40th of the season! š pic.twitter.com/65n26504p6
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 29, 2024
While winning the Rocket Richard Trophy will be next to impossible with the way Matthews has been playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, there is a real possibility that Hyman winds up being the runner-up to the award by season’s end. That is a thought that nobody would have had when he initially signed in Edmonton.
Hyman is ahead of bonafide NHL superstars like Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, and teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
NHL.com
When it comes to where this stands in Oilers history, Hyman has become just the fourth player to hit the 40-goal plateau in a single season with the team since 1990-91, joining McDavid, Draisaitl, and Petr Klima.
Zach Hyman is the first #LetsGoOilers player not named McDavid or Draisaitl to score 40 goals in a season since Petr Klima in 1990-91. pic.twitter.com/aFja1sR0Ms
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) February 29, 2024
With 25 games left in the regular season, hitting the coveted 50-goal mark is not out of the question for the 31-year-old. If he can accomplish that, it would make Hyman just the sixth player in Oilers history to do so, joining McDavid, Draisaitl, Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, and Mark Messier.
Hyman is currently on pace to score 58 goals.