Zach Hyman. Say those two words to any Toronto Maple Leaf fan and their eyes will instantly light up with joy. A mainstay on the team’s forward corps since the 2016-17 season, Zach Hyman is the undisputed heartbeat of the team whose workhorse style of play and consistency have been a rarity amongst the Leafs’ skilled and often inconsistent core.
The Emergence of Forward Zach Hyman
Back in the summer of 2017, Hyman inked a four-year deal with the club carrying an annual cap hit of $2.25 million. While seen as a modest deal for a player who piled up 28 points over 82 games in the prior season, Hyman has exploded into a top-six player over the past four seasons with the Leafs. The winger has provided some much-needed toughness and grit to a team heavily constructed around skill and quickness. He has vastly outplayed his current contract and is expecting a massive pay raise this offseason. The Toronto native will likely carry anywhere from a $4-7 million AAV market value on the open market.
Will Zach Hyman stay with the Leafs?
There’s no doubt that Zach Hyman loves Toronto. The winger is a native of suburban Toronto and has played in the city for much of his life. The Leafs are also the only NHL team that he has ever suited up for. As the grinder has become a fan and management favourite over his tenure with the team, there is a mutual interest to sign a new deal. Unfortunately for both sides, the Leafs are in some serious cap trouble. This is an expected result of signing three core players to costly long-term contracts.
While Hyman may take a team-friendly hometown discount, Leaf fans should go into this offseason with the expectation that their reliable jack of all trades winger will not be a part of the team’s roster come opening night next season.
What Does This Mean For the Leafs?
With the departure of Hyman, the Leafs are losing a top-tier grinder capable of playing on all four lines. In addition, they are losing a utility player who can be effective on both the penalty kill and power play. Also, Hyman is an unorthodox player in the Leafs’ system, making his living in the dirty areas while still being extremely skilled and intelligent in scoring situations. He is a rarity among the teams present forward corps and around the league as well.
However, he’s 29 years old, and there’s a good chance his gritty play doesn’t keep up with his ageing body. Take Hyman’s ageing teammate and former all-star Wayne Simmonds as an example. Simmonds is just three years older than Hyman, and his play has dropped off significantly from his prime years. So while the Leafs are losing a talented player in Hyman, they are also preventing a potentially disastrous long-term contract from occurring in the process. In doing so, they are shedding Hyman’s $2.25 million cap hit. This should give them further cap flexibility in the offseason as they look to bolster their forward group.
What Does This Mean for Leafs Fans?
Hyman’s departure would be a shot to the heart for every Leaf fan out there. His aforementioned unique and consistent playstyle which compliments the rest of the core forwards seems to give fans hope for the future of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey, one where Hyman’s play collides beautifully with that of Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews‘s.
As free agency looms closer and closer in the distance, Maple Leafs’ forward Zach Hyman is running out of time to decide on his future with Toronto. While there is hope among fans that Kyle Dubas and the rest of the Leafs’ management can pull something short of a miracle off, the assumption is that Zach Hyman’s years with his hometown team have come to an end, at least for this chapter in his career. With that comes a larger question for the Leafs – who will replace him?
Main Photo:
