Opinion: Oilers' Zach Hyman Ranked Too High on Top Winger List

The Edmonton Oilers' winger was given a very generous ranking by NHL Network's Top 20 Wingers list.

Jun 21, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) during the warmup period against the Florida Panthers in game six of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports / Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The Edmonton Oilers boast one of the deepest forward groups in the NHL. In addition to superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they have players like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman playing crucial roles in their lineup. Their offensive depth is easily the biggest reason why they are again Stanley Cup contenders heading into the 2024-2025 season.

The NHL Network recently released their list of the top-20 wingers, and the Oilers were unsurprisingly represented. Hyman was just outside of the top-10, coming in at number 11. Coming off of an incredible season, NHL Network was extremely complimentary of his past season.

"Hyman, who had an NHL career-high 36 goals and 83 points in 2022-23, didn't make this list last season," they wrote. "But ranks just outside the top 10 this year after scoring 54 goals (third in the NHL). His 26 power-play points, seven game-winning goals, and 290 shots on goals were also NHL career bests. The 32-year-old left wing had 77 points in 80 games while averaging 19:30 of ice time per game. Hyman led the playoffs with 16 goals and had 22 points in 25 games to help Edmonton reach the Cup Final."

There's no denying how strong of a season Hyman had last year. He is a passionate player and locker room voice, and his impact on the Oilers goes beyond his improved scoring abilities. But the 11th best winger in the NHL is a stretch, even after a 54 goal season.

Hyman was ranked above players like Brady Tkachuk, Clayton Keller, Kyle Connor, and Filip Forsberg. He did score more goals than those four, but they all recorded the same amount or more total points than Hyman did last season. And they did so without playing alongside the greatest hockey player in the world and on the same power play as two of the best players in the NHL. This is no disrespect to Hyman as a player, who fits the Oilers' scheme to perfection, but of the players on this list, there is no one who benefits more from their line mates and situation than him.

Let's look at Hyman's career production for a moment. Over 580 games, he's recorded 203 goals and 399 points. Before arriving in Edmonton, his best offensive season was a 21-goal, 41-point effort with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Since becoming an Oiler, he hasn't scored less than 27 goals in a season, with a 30 and 50 goal season under his belt.

According to MoneyPuck's expected goals model, there is a clear reason why Hyman's production has jumped: his center. In his career, Hyman's recorded six seasons with 1600 or more shifts, three with the Leafs between 2016 and 2018 and his last three with the Oilers. With the Leafs, his expected goals per 60 minutes of individual ice-time, a calculation of the chance an unblocked shot will go in, were 0.76, 0.82, and 1.24. The goals per 60 minutes Hyman recorded those seasons were 0.44, 0.63, and 1.03. In those seasons in Toronto, he scored 10, 15, and 21 goals respectively.

With the Oilers, it's a completely different story. Playing in a top-six role alongside Connor McDavid, the expected goals per 60 have skyrocketed to 1.39, 1.91, and 2.02. Hyman's actual goals per 60 in that span has been 1.1, 1.36, and 2.08, reflecting seasons of 27, 36, and 54 goals. You can make the argument that Hyman's just done a better job or creating scoring chances, but the reality is that the best playmaker of the last two decades is constantly creating chances for him.

The rankings make the caveat that the list refers to the best players "right now", but even still, it seems more like a popularity contest than a true evaluation of the players on the list. How else can you justify players like Alex Ovechkin and Brad Marchand making the list while players like Jesper Bratt, Chris Kreider, Brandon Hagel, and Brock Boeser sit on the outside? It's the same reason why Hyman's ranking is too generous. He's an incredible player, but he's not the 11th best winger in the NHL right now.

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