After another disappointing Toronto Maple Leafs playoff loss, it's time to break up the core four forwards and that might mean moving on from Mitch Marner, who becomes a free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season. Ahead of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, former Toronto Maple Leaf and current Edmonton Oiler Zach Hyman had the opportunity to reflect on the decision that saw him leave Toronto in the summer of 2021. In a sit-down with NHL.com [http://nhl.com], Hyman stated that “Coming here [Edmonton] was the best decision of my life” and that “It wasn’t about the money”. From the perspective of the Maple Leafs, they found themselves in a harsh reality of riding tightly up against the salary cap that forced the club’s management into tough decisions – including letting Hyman walk out the door for nothing. “I’d have loved to be a Maple Leaf for life,” Hyman said. “I was from there, our families were from there. But when that door closed and Edmonton had shown interest all along, it was the place I wanted to come.” Despite his desire to remain in Toronto, his hometown, the team couldn’t offer him the contract he deserved and rightfully earned on the open market. Following a tour of the city, one team emerged from the Hyman sweepstakes; the Edmonton Oilers, who expressed a genuine interest in his services. The forward signed a seven-year $38.5 million contract [https://x.com/EdmontonOilers/status/1420466345666236419] with a cap hit of $5.5 million a season – a bargain in comparison to the numbers he’s produced upon his arrival. Having never scored more than 21 goals in a season, Hyman has risen to stardom scoring 54 goals in 80 games during the 2023-24 regular season, setting career-highs in goals in each of his first three seasons in Edmonton. In six seasons with Toronto (2015-21), Hyman scored 91 goals and 107 assists for 198 points in 377 regular and postseason games. In comparison, he has already scored 145 goals and tallied 114 assists for 259 points in 281 regular and postseason games. Focusing more on the playoffs, Hyman has an impressive 28 goals in 46 games with the Oilers in postseason action, leading this year’s 2024 postseason with 14 – the most since Brayden Point in 2021 and just five away from tying the record for one playoff year of 19. Hyman is one of seven former players who have ties to the Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup Final, six of which are on the Oilers. Years later, the Toronto native is proving to be a piece the Leafs deeply miss. On the other hand, he has turned out to be worth every penny and an outright steal for a contender that is four wins away from the Stanley Cup. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk1MTUxMDE2NDM2ODQ0/cf1808c0-6a82-4298-9049-3eb2eae105b0.jpg] Related Why the Maple Leafs Added Associate Coach Lane Lambert to Craig Berube's Coaching Staff [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/why-the-maple-leafs-added-associate-coach-lane-lambert-to-craig-berubes-coaching-staff] Maple Leafs Forward David Kampf Seeming Has No Offseason in Latest Instagram Story Two Weeks Removed from Men's World Hockey Championship [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-forward-david-kampf-seen-diligently-working-out-in-latest-instagram-story-two-weeks-removed-from-mens-world-hockey-championship] Former Maple Leafs defenseman Ken Klee Credits Pat Quinn’s Influence for Coaching Style Amidst Historic Walter Cup Victory with PWHL Minnesota [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/former-maple-leafs-defenseman-ken-klee-credits-pat-quinns-influence-for-coaching-style-amidst-historic-walter-cup-victory-with-pwhl-minnesota] News from THN.com The Florida Panthers Face a Busy Off-Season Following the Stanley Cup Final [https://thehockeynews.com/news/the-florida-panthers-face-a-busy-off-season-following-the-stanley-cup-final] 'You Don't Have to Be a Die-Hard Hockey Fan to Appreciate Connor McDavid' — Why U.S. Sports Fans Are Cheering for the Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/news/you-dont-have-to-be-a-die-hard-hockey-fan-to-appreciate-connor-mcdavid-why-u-s-sports-fans-are-cheering-for-the-oilers] Carolina's Martin Necas On the Move? Three Potential NHL Landing Spots [https://thehockeynews.com/news/carolinas-martin-necas-on-the-move-three-potential-nhl-landing-spots]
