Zach Hyman has 21 goals since Dec. 1, second most in the NHL after Connor McDavid’s 23, but it might still be too late to wedge his way onto Canada’s Olympic team as an injury replacement if Brayden Point and/or Brad Marchand are ruled out with the tournament starting in two weeks.
The flag-waving inclination is to say Hyman would be the nice-fit accoutrement on McDavid’s Olympic right-wing, or farther down the lineup with his versatility. And as a net-front on a PP unit. All good. But sources say the management group for Canada’s team may be too far down the road in their debates with others closer to making it. Like Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett, who scored in the final game of the 4Nations Face-Off last February, or the clever Dallas centre Wyatt Johnston or Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele.
Scheifele has 64 points, ninth in league scoring. Johnston has 58, which puts him 16th. Bennett (42 points) would bring some abrasiveness to the team.
Hyman, who badly dislocated his wrist last spring in the Western Conference final against Dallas, has been on a two-month heater after not returning until Nov. 15. He wants no part of wishing Point or anybody else ill will. He wants to be in Milan, but so do Point and Marchand.
“If I’m not picked, I’ll be watching and cheering for Canada,” said Hyman.
Point (leg), hurt in a pile-up three weeks ago, couldn’t put any weight on his leg then, but he avoided a major issue and might get a game in before Milan. We’re awaiting medical word on Marchand, who missed the third period of Florida’s late loss against St. Louis.
While Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard is now the highest-scoring NHL D-man (59 points), with 10 in his last three games, where he’s plus-9, he still looks like he’s on the outside looking in with no defencemen hurt. And so does the red-hot Hyman, with the Oilers playing Minnesota Saturday here, then Toronto next Tuesday at home, and in Calgary next Wednesday before the Olympic break.
“I’m very proud the way I’ve been able to play coming back from the injury. It’s not easy being hurt, going through rehab. Not easy when you can’t access your wrist, your hand. It’s a long process,” said Hyman, who had one goal in his seven November games but had 11 in December and 10 in January.
“I play with some great players, obviously, and I’ve been in this position before where I’ve scored a lot of goals in a short period of time. It’s not necessarily new. Just happy I’m back to where I want to be after major surgery,” said Hyman, who has 36 points in 36 games.
The Edmonton Oilers’ Zach Hyman (18) battles for a loose puck with the San Jose Sharks’ goalie Yaroslav Askarov (30) during third period NHL action at Rogers Place, in Edmonton Thursday Jan. 29, 2026. The Oilers won 4-3 in overtime.
What was harder? Getting his cardio back or being able to battle, using his hands, coming off the dislocated wrist in the playoffs last spring?
“The wind? Not a problem. It was the first time where I had six months to train because we’ve played a lot of hockey (playoff run to the Cup finals twice). My legs felt great coming back. The wrist takes as long as it takes, being able to find that touch around the net…yeah, first 10 games back, with no pre-season, you go from skating by yourself, to skating with the group, to a week later, playing games. You have to catch up quickly. Certainly the first five, six, seven games, it was about getting back into the rhythm of things…but since then I feel great,” he said.
“My (repaired) wrist? It’s the new normal. You have an ACL (tear), you’re never the same, but you adapt. Like I said, this is the new normal. You adapt,” he said.
Hurry up and wait for Mangiapane
When the big door to the Oilers dressing room opened wide for Hyman after a post-game TV interview Thursday after his OT winner (the fourth as an Oiler), Andrew Mangiapane was there as part of the non-dressed for a victory celebration. So, a good soldier, happy for Zach. But, once again, a cheerleader. They continue to carry a $3.6 million cap hit on Mangiapane, whose well-earned rep has been as an agitating complementary offensive forward, but scratched for seven of 14 games in January.
We’re in Jeff Skinner territory here, folks.
We keep hearing about teams maybe being interested in him, but unless the Oilers are throwing in a draft pick sweetener like Jersey just did to move Ondrej Palat’s hefty contract to the Islanders, how do they move Mangiapane’s second year of his contract? The Oilers don’t want to just bury his contract in Bakersfield, putting him on waivers, saving themselves $1.15 million on the cap because maybe that’s a bad look in their eyes, feeling that would weaken a trade possibility, but when he does play, is that upping his value with pro scouts’ eyeballs on him? I don’t see it.
“Tough to say what’s going on (with Mangiapane). I’m as surprised as you are,” said a league source, who certainly recalls Mangiapane being a feisty, in-the-battle guy.
Yes, the Oilers can point to last season when Mangiapane had 14 goals, 13 ES, and he was part of the Capitals’ fifth overall penalty kill, so he filled a role, as to what he might be, but that was then. This is now: three points in his last 25 games and no PK duty here.
The Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid (97) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) battle the San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) during second period NHL action at Rogers Place, in Edmonton Thursday Jan. 29, 2026.
Celebrini a honest young man
Good on Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini appealing to the zebras that he didn’t stick Mattias Ekholm’s stick in his face Thursday, so there shouldn’t be a penalty call. No young player wants to be known as an actor, drawing a call. So why wasn’t the high-sticking call reversed?
“I was told the call is not reviewable,” said Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch.
Yeah, but refs have conferred and changed their minds. It happened last March in a Flyers-Carolina game when Cam York was whistled for a high-stick on Taylor Hall, thinking the defenceman had caught Hall in the face. T.J. Luxmore reversed it after talking to counterpart Brandon Schrader. The stick caught Hall under the shoulder.
Same story with Ekholm and Celebrini.
This ‘n that
McDavid hit 60 assists Thursday, setting up Hyman for his OT winner against the Sharks. He’s had 10 seasons of at least 60 helpers. Only five NHLers can say that: Wayne Gretzky (17), Paul Coffey (11), Ray Bourque and Adam Oates (10).
One-time Oiler winger and Team USA Olympic GM Bill Guerin will be on After Hours Saturday, when his Minnesota Wild team is here.
Skinner was a healthy scratch for the Sharks against his old club. He skated on a fifth line at the morning practice with injured Kiefer Sherwood and Philipp Kurashev. He’s got skill, but as with here, if he’s not in the top six, he just doesn’t fit.
Oilers forward Trent Frederic was noticeable, in a good way, on a fourth line against the Sharks. One of his better games. Still unfathomable he has three points in 53 games over the first four months, and not even an assist in his last 24 games, going back to his last point, Dec. 6 against the Jets.
The Oilers did not reclaim centre Noah Philp off waivers (Carolina), possibly for a few reasons. They like prospect Josh Samanski more, even if he’s a left-shot, not a seemingly more valuable right-shot. They see him as a possible third-line centre down the road. They likely see Philp as a fourth-liner. Philp, 27, has also had a couple of concussions, if they had medical concerns. Philp played two games for the ‘Canes after they claimed him from Oilers, 18:26 of ice-time and now will play for the AHL Chicago Wolves.
Samanski’s dad John, a former pro player in Europe, and three of his hockey playing brothers rushed here from Germany for his first NHL game against Anaheim Tuesday. “They got in at 3 in the afternoon of the game and two of my brothers (Noah and Neal, playing in the DEL2) flew back the next morning at 6 a.m,” said Samanski. Samanski, who played 7:43 in his NHL debut and 29 seconds more against the Sharks Thursday, was still kicking himself for not scoring against Anaheim. Jackson LaCombe got his stick on a wide-open net. “Great pass from Rosie (Roslovic). I should have shot it under the (cross) bar,” he said.
Ex-Oiler Vinny Desharnais seems to have settled into a bottom-pairing right-shot defenseman role with the Sharks, playing currently with San Jose’s best young defenceman and former first-round pick Sam Dickinson in a 5-6 role. “He’s got a long reach, kills penalties,” said Sharks’ coach Ryan Warsofsky, who also had his two thumbs up when Desharnais belted Matthew Tkachuk at centre ice in a recent game.
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