Oilers Forward Likely to See Serious Regression in Scoring This Season

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Ryan Hall
October 17, 2024 (1:28 PM)

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The Edmonton Oilers are currently sorting out their lineup and some Oilers pundits have suggested that Zach Hyman may see a regression in his offense after scoring 54 goals last season.

Through four games of play, Hyman is pointless and is a - 3 which does not bear any panic as several stars throughout the league have been struggling to get on the board including Connor McDavid. But throughout his career, he has been a perennial 20 to 25 goal scorer before arriving in Edmonton when he signed his seven-year contract.

Several factors could lead to a regression which include NHL teams marking him to be watched and followed. Many times, after a player has had a record year, other NHL teams take notice and watch video on how he plays and how they can defend against him as he is now known as a threat for goals. It's likely he will be watched more and prevented to scoring as many goals as he did. He also had a high shooting percentage which adds to the factor that teams will be watching him to help limit those shooting opportunities.

Another issue could be injuries as he had faced several injuries during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has had relatively great health and no injuries with the Oilers which has allowed him to flourish especially on the score sheet. It's quite possible that he may have the same good luck, but it remains to be seen.

Age could become a factor in his regression as he is now 32 years old and could see a slowdown in his production as the Oilers have had many more games than other teams throughout the league with last year's playoff run. That tends to wear down players and prevent them from getting to the heights they did the year before.

Saying all this does not mean that he won't have a great year, but it certainly begs the questions to whether last year a one off or a trend was that he will be this prolific goal scorer that he has shown.