Nobody spent the summer of 2021 talking about Zach Hyman as though he'd change the direction of the Edmonton Oilers.
People talked about the contract, his age, whether seven years made sense for a player whose game involved throwing himself into corners and setting up shop at the top of the crease. If anything, there seemed to be a general feeling that Edmonton had paid for the player Hyman had been in Toronto, rather than the player he would become.
A few years later, it's hard to imagine the team without him.
Some players make life easier on everybody around them, and Hyman has become one of those guys. Coaches trust him, teammates know what they're getting, and Connor McDavid knows that if a puck is chipped into a corner, there's a pretty good chance Hyman will come out with it. It isn't glamorous work, and it probably never will be, but winning teams have always been full of players who make the game a little less difficult for everyone else.
That's part of the reason why his signing has aged so well.
It also says something about the type of player Edmonton should be hunting for.
The temptation after a disappointing season is always to think bigger. Fans dream about star players because they're exciting. They sell jerseys. They dominate television panels. They make trade proposals more fun.
Reality tends to be less dramatic.
Take a look around the teams that have enjoyed recent success and you'll find plenty of players whose value goes far beyond point totals. Carolina just won the Stanley Cup with Jordan Martinook playing meaningful minutes. Sam Bennett became one of Florida's most important players long before he became one of its most recognizable ones. Vegas found a home for Pavel Dorofeyev and ended up with far more than they bargained for.
Nobody throws parades for winning puck battles in November.
General managers notice them, though.
So do coaches.
So do first line players.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl don't spend their summers hoping another player will show up to take the puck away from them. What every great player appreciates are teammates who recover pucks, arrive on time, take a hit to make a play and understand that there are plenty of ways to influence a game besides ending up on the scoresheet.
Hyman understands that.
So did Ryan Smyth.
Fernando Pisani understood it.
Pat Maroon made himself invaluable because he understood it.
Every era of Oilers hockey seems to produce one or two players whose importance only becomes fully appreciated when they're gone.
Maybe that's Dawson Mercer. Maybe Owen Tippett finds another level in a different environment. Mason McTavish would fit the mould if Anaheim ever decided to entertain the idea, although that seems unlikely. Or perhaps the player Stan Bowman is looking for hasn't been mentioned in any rumours yet.
These things have a funny way of sneaking up on people.
After all, when Hyman signed in Edmonton, nobody was writing columns about how he'd become one of the defining acquisitions of the current era.
Most people were arguing about the term.
Which is probably a useful reminder that the Oilers don't need a miracle. They already have Connor McDavid.
What they need are more players who can spend a Tuesday night in Columbus digging pucks off the wall, annoying opposing defencemen and making sure their stars don't have to do every single thing themselves.
Zach Hyman built an entire career around that idea.
Finding another player willing to do the same might end up being one of the most important jobs on Stan Bowman's list this summer.
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