BLOG: Hyman 'raring to go', inching closer to his return from wrist injury

EDMONTON, AB – The return of Zach Hyman is on the horizon.

The Edmonton Oilers winger won't be available to make his return to the lineup this Saturday, November 1 against the Chicago Blackhawks – the earliest possible date he could be activated off LTIR from a dislocated right wrist – but Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said that his season debut could come as soon as next weekend's home meeting with the Colorado Avalanche at Rogers Place.

Knoblauch updated Hyman's status as "week-to-week" following Wednesday's full-team practice at Rogers Place, where Hyman was a full participant, with the bench boss feeling tempted to insert the winger for this coming Saturday's meeting with the Blackhawks based on how ready the 33-year-old looks.

"He's raring to go. He looks ready to go," Knoblauch said.

"I want to put him in. Our medical staff is holding him back. I don't think it's fair," he joked.

"He'll still be week-to-week. We said it was bare minimum on November 1, and it won't be, but it'll be at least a week after that and hopefully soon. We want him back. I think he looks ready, but obviously we're looking at the long picture and making sure that we don't have any setbacks."

Hyman will be the first to tell you that he feels ready to go after recovering from a dislocated right wrist he sustained during last season's the Western Conference Final, followed by a long offseason rehabbing from surgery that will drag into the second month of the 2025-26 NHL campaign.

But he knows the final decision falls on the Oilers medical team, and there's no altering that timeline despite how good he thinks he feels.

"I think November 1 is the first game that I'm eligible to play... We're meeting with the doctors this week, and we'll know more then," Hyman said.

"I'm going to tell you I'm ready to go because that's how I feel. But at the end of the day, the doctors are the ones who are there to protect you from yourself at times and make sure that when you do return, you are able and ready. That's how I feel. Having said that, they know more than I do. But I feel really good. I feel close."

Hyman has been skating for the past few weeks and gaining both strength and confidence in his wrist ahead of his eventual return to the lineup, saying he's feeling physically and mentally refreshed following his extended recovery where he was able to skate but not shoot for a while – a stark contrast from his previous ACL injury with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019 where skating was impossible for months.

The Oilers have felt the absence of Hyman this season, both at even strength and on the power play, and his return in the coming weeks will be a major boost to their team that's struggled at times to generate offence and find the right formula up front with its forward lines.

"It'll be a huge boost for sure," McDavid said. "We've got some young forwards on the team that are kind of finding their way, and it'll be good to get him back and everything that he provides. He obviously skates well, he's physical, and he goes to the net hard – all stuff we've kind of been missing, so it'll be huge to get him back."

When he returns, Hyman will likely assume his top-line duties while re-taking his role on the man advantage as Edmonton's net-front presence – along with all the other intangibles he brings in hard work, grit and tenacity that helped him score 50 goals in 2023-24 and make opportunities for his teammates.

"It would mean a lot," Knoblauch added. "Just look at most of our games so far this year when it comes to goal scoring. Zach is as good as anyone scoring goals, so he gives us some depth there. With our team, a little tenacity, a little grit and getting in on the forecheck would help with that. I like how a lot of the guys are playing, but anytime you add a star-quality player like Zach, it helps the team a lot and moves other guys to the chairs they should be in."