Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman immediately knew he had suffered a significant injury. During Game 4 of the Western Conference Final, after releasing the puck near his blue line, Hyman was hit by Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment in the neutral zone. He dropped his stick and skated directly off the ice, favoring his right arm before heading to the locker room.
Having been a crucial part of the Oilers` journey to the Stanley Cup Final the previous year, the energetic forward will now have to watch from the sidelines as his team makes its second consecutive attempt to win the championship. Speaking to reporters ahead of Game 1 of the Final against the Florida Panthers, Hyman was seen wearing a cast on his right arm due to a dislocated wrist.
The 32-year-old, who was among the playoff leaders in hits, recounted the moment his season came to an end. “I just felt my wrist kind of go,” Hyman said, confirming he sustained bone breaks and ligament damage in addition to the dislocation. He initially harbored hope of playing through it, but after seeing the doctors, it quickly became clear that surgery was required and playing was impossible. Hyman admitted to feeling “delusional” about the possibility of playing until after the procedure, experiencing strong emotions in the moment. “I don’t think I fully grasped it until later,” he added. “Some things in life you can’t control, and this is one of them.”
While recovering on his couch in Edmonton after the surgery, Hyman received a heartwarming FaceTime call from his teammates in the visitors` locker room in Dallas after they won Game 5 to clinch their spot in the Final. “It meant the world,” Hyman shared, adding that he anticipates being ready for training camp in September. “It caught me off guard. I was crying. It was really emotional. You just feel so much a part of the team. For them to do that in that moment meant a lot.”
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch acknowledged that the team will miss Hyman`s presence both on and off the ice. “We`re just going to have to move on,” Knoblauch stated. “We`re going to need other guys to step up, whether that`s scoring goals or making hits, making plays.”
Hyman, known for his relentless style and significant goal production, shared that captain Connor McDavid was the first teammate to console him immediately after the injury occurred. “You`re heartbroken,” said Hyman, describing his feelings at the time. McDavid “Gave me a big hug. Honestly, that`s when I broke down.”
Unlike the previous season where they enjoyed relatively good injury luck en route to Game 7 of the Final, the Oilers faced significant health issues late in the 2024-25 schedule, with McDavid, Hyman, Leon Draisaitl, and Mattias Ekholm all missing time. Top defenseman Ekholm did return for Game 5 against Dallas after a lengthy absence due to a lower-body injury.
Following the devastating Game 7 loss to Florida last June, after the Oilers impressively fought back from a 3-0 series deficit, Hyman delivered a memorable speech to his teammates, promising they would return to the Final. That promise has been fulfilled, though Hyman will unfortunately not be on the ice for the rematch.
“Life has a funny way of working,” he reflected. “Most of our guys were coming back, and I knew we had a hunger and a fire to get back to this point. And not just get back, but to win. Our team this year has been the ultimate example of a team… guys stepping up at different times, guys filling in different roles.” Despite his injury, Hyman expressed his full support for the team, stating, “Looking forward to cheering the guys on. We`re here and we`re ready.”
