Zach Hyman says leaving Leafs for Oilers "wasn't about money"

In a different world, perhaps Zach Hyman would be spending these days wondering what the Toronto Maple Leafs will be doing to construct their roster this offseason.

But in reality, the Toronto native is gearing up for his first-ever appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, with his Edmonton Oilers side getting ready for Game 1 this Saturday against the Florida Panthers.

Hyman was actually drafted by that Panthers squad out of the University of Michigan back in 2010, before being traded to Toronto in 2015. After spending parts of six seasons with the Leafs, in the summer of 2021, Hyman signed a seven-year, $38.5 million deal with Edmonton.

“Coming here was the best decision of my life,” Hyman said in an interview with NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger.

Hyman’s career-high in goals in Toronto was 21 on two separate occasions, but he’s topped that each year in his tenure in Edmonton, scoring 27, 36, and 54 goals in his three years with the Oilers, respectively.

“It wasn’t about money,” he said of joining the Oilers. “I’d have loved to be a Maple Leaf for life. I was from there, our families were from there. But when that door closed and Edmonton had shown interest all along, it was the place I wanted to come.”

Hyman had reported contract talks with Toronto, though the Oilers heavily outbid the Leafs on the final deal due to having more cap space available. Though many fans and media balked at the seven-year deal for Hyman, it’s hard to argue with his success in his first three years with the team.

“It’s our home,” Hyman added about Edmonton. “We built a house here. We’re raising our two boys here and are expecting a third in September. And, importantly, it was a place I thought I could win.”

In 18 playoff games this year for the Oilers, Hyman has a league-high 14 goals. With the NHL single postseason record set at 19, Hyman has an outside shot of finding himself in the history books should he continue his hot streak.

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