Zach Hyman has been out since opening night with a wrist injury, and nearly a month into the season, the Edmonton Oilers are still trying to figure out who plays on Connor McDavid's wing. And that sums up how important Hyman actually is to this roster.

We're approaching November, and there's still no consistency in how the lineup looks from one game to the next. Players show up to the rink not knowing what line they'll be on or whether they'll be shuffled three times during the game. Kris Knoblauch is still auditioning combinations, still searching for something that works, still trying to find someone who can do what Hyman does.

The answer, increasingly, seems to be that nobody can.

Hyman isn't a superstar. He's not going to win a Hart Trophy or lead the league in scoring. But what he brings to McDavid's wing is something the Oilers haven't been able to replicate since he went down. He goes to the net. He finishes checks. He creates chaos in front of the goalie and turns half-chances into goals. He's relentless in ways that open up space for McDavid to do McDavid things.

Without him, the Oilers have tried everyone. Matt Savoie got a look on the top line. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has moved up and down the lineup. Andrew Mangiapane looks slightly better winging a superstar than a 3C. Hey, even Isaac Howard scored a goal on McDavid's line.

Yet, the line blender keeps spinning because nothing is sticking.

That's not just a Hyman problem—it's a roster construction problem that gets exposed when a key piece goes missing. The Oilers built their top line around McDavid, Leon Draisaitl or Nugent-Hopkins, and Hyman. When one of those parts isn't there, the entire structure falls apart because there's no clear replacement that brings the same elements.

Savoie Scores First, But Oilers Fall Short Matt Savoie scoring his first NHL goal should have been the story. The 21-year-old crashing the net, Adam Henrique's shot deflecting off his skate and past Igor Shesterkin on the power play—that's a moment a kid remembers forever. The kind of thing that gets framed and hung in basements and retold at family dinners years later.

The lack of lineup consistency is affecting more than just the top line. When you're constantly shuffling players trying to find the right combination with McDavid, it creates instability throughout the entire forward group. Third-line players get bumped up to roles they're not ready for. Fourth-line guys get inconsistent minutes. Nobody settles into a role because the roles keep changing every game—sometimes every period.

Players can't build chemistry when they don't know who they're playing with from shift to shift. They can't develop timing and trust when the combinations change based on how the first period went. The Oilers are nearly a month into the season, and they still don't have defined lines beyond McDavid and Draisaitl playing together from puck drop or the moment something goes wrong. That's not a recipe for consistency or success.

The frustrating part is that this was predictable. Hyman played through injuries last season and into the playoffs. His body broke down. He needed surgery. The Oilers knew he'd miss time to start this season, but there was no clear plan for what happens when he's out. The hope seemed to be that someone would step up and fill the void naturally. That hasn't happened.

Oilers Consistently Inconsistent in 4-3 Overtime Loss to Rangers Edmonton squandered a lead, surrendering a late comeback and overtime winner. Their inconsistency resurfaces, forcing a return to the drawing board.

Instead, Kris Knoblauch is doing what any coach would do in his situation—trying everything to find something that works. But that constant shuffling creates its own problems. Players lose confidence when they keep getting moved around. Execution suffers when linemates are constantly changing. The game plan becomes reactive instead of proactive.

The question isn't whether Hyman is important—it's whether the Oilers built a roster too dependent on him being healthy and effective. When your entire top line falls apart because one player is missing, that's a depth problem. When you're still auditioning replacements nearly a month into the season, that's a planning problem.

Hyman is expected back sometime in early November. When he returns, the Oilers will slot him back onto McDavid's wing, and suddenly things will look more stable. The line blender will slow down. Players will settle into more defined roles. The roster will start to make sense again. That's how important he is.

Oilers’ Zach Hyman Close To Return, But Not Ready For Saturday Edmonton’s top winger is feeling “really good” and close to a return, but the team’s medical staff isn’t ready to clear him just yet.

But what happens if he gets injured again? What's the plan when playoff hockey gets physical and Hyman's body takes another beating? The Oilers don't seem to have good answers to those questions, and a month of lineup chaos has proven it.

The silver lining is that all these auditions might reveal someone who can step up when needed. Savoie showed flashes on the top line before getting moved. Maybe someone else emerges in the next few weeks before Hyman returns. But so far, nobody has seized the opportunity in a way that makes the coaching staff feel confident about life without number 18.

Nearly a month into the season, the Oilers are still searching for lineup stability. Players don't know what to expect from game to game. The constant shuffling continues. And the answer to whether Zach Hyman is really that important becomes clearer with every line change and every failed audition.

He's that important. The month he's been missing has proven it. The question is what the Oilers do about it if he's not available when it matters most.

Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more.   Add us to your Google News favourites, and never miss a story.