- Zach Hyman is expected back Saturday against the Mammoth after missing six games
- Colton Dach and Jake Walman are also very likely to play
- Read below for the full Oilers injury update, including Nugent-Hopkins and Dickinson
Zach Hyman is about to make his return to the Oilers lineup.
Edmonton radio host Jason Gregor reported Friday that Hyman will play Saturday in the rematch with the Utah Mammoth. Colton Dach and Jake Walman are both “very likely” to suit up too:
Hyman has played just one game this season. He took 20:33 of ice time in the 6-5 opening night loss to the Canucks, finishing with three shots and two hits, then went down with an undisclosed upper-body injury. He has missed the last six games.
Dach has been out since Oct. 3 after three games, and he sits on injured reserve. Gregor noted the Oilers will need to make a roster move to activate him. Walman has not played since Oct. 7 and is still looking for his first point of the season.
Here is where the rest of the group stands:
| Player | Status |
|---|---|
| Zach Hyman | Expected to play Saturday |
| Colton Dach | Very likely to play Saturday |
| Jake Walman | Very likely to play Saturday |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | On track to return late next week against Carolina or Toronto |
| Jason Dickinson | Expected back during the upcoming homestand |
Nugent-Hopkins has yet to play this season because of a lower-body injury. Gregor has him returning either Thursday against the Hurricanes or Oct. 24 against the Maple Leafs.
Reinforcements can’t come soon enough after Thursday’s 4-2 loss to Utah, where Edmonton played without several regulars up front. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have carried a lot of the load, and Mike Babcock admitted as much. We covered what he said about McDavid’s ice time earlier today.
Hyman scored 31 goals and 52 points in 58 games last season, and Babcock already knows him well from their years together in Toronto. The Oilers are 5-1-1, second in the Pacific behind Vegas, and getting this many bodies back at once gives Babcock real options on the wing.
