The Oilers might be without forward Zach Hyman for up to two weeks due to an undisclosed injury, Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters on Saturday.
Hyman, 33, has 51 points (31 goals, 20 assists) in 57 games this season, but has been playing through an injury. The 11-year NHL veteran was on the ice for 16:40 in Thursday’s 3-1 home win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
“If this was a playoff game, he’d be playing,” Knoblauch said after Saturday’s morning skate. “We feel it’s best to give him some rest and let him be healthy and not aggravate anything.
“A lot of our players are going through something, but it’s something that wasn’t getting better and we wanted to give him some rest (so he) can heal and then he can be 100 percent for the playoffs. Whether that’s five days or 14 days, something in that window, then we should be good.”
In 710 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2015-21) and Oilers (2021-present), Hyman has produced 494 points (261 goals, 233 assists). He was a fifth-round pick of the Florida Panthers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Star forward Leon Draisaitl, out with a lower-body injury since March 15, is expected to begin skating next week during the Oilers’ three-game road trip, Knoblauch said. At the time of the injury, the German native was expected to miss the rest of the regular season.
Draisaitl, 30, is second on the Oilers with 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) in 65 games this season. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2019-20 as league MVP and has been a three-time All-Star over his 12 NHL seasons.
The No. 3 overall pick by the Oilers in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Draisaitl has compiled 1,053 points (434 goals, 619 assists) in 855 games.
