Report: Flames, Canucks, Oilers among teams pursuing Hyman
The Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks are among the teams pursuing Toronto Maple Leafs pending unrestricted free agent Zach Hyman, according to The Toronto Star's Kevin McGran.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, and Detroit Red Wings have also expressed their desire for the gritty winger, but the Western Canadian triad are believed to be the frontrunners, McGran adds.
The Maple Leafs have reportedly granted Hyman permission to speak to other clubs so they can explore trading his rights.
Hyman will likely be too expensive for Toronto to retain. The Leafs have less than $10 million in cap space this offseason, according to Cap Friendly, and need to add players at every position to fill out their roster.
Here's a look at the current cap situations of Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton. However, numbers are bound to change within the next week due to the looming expansion draft.
| Team | Cap space | Players signed |
|---|---|---|
| Flames | $13.625 million | 14 |
| Canucks | $15.174 million | 15 |
| Oilers | $11.204 million | 19 |
Even if the Flames signed Hyman, they'd still need to add three more forwards to fill out their roster. The Canucks' cap situation is also delicate, as they need to sign restricted free agents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes before the puck drops in October.
The Oilers are the most logical fit of the three on paper, but Edmonton also needs to sign a starting goalie.
Hyman is projected to sign a four-year contract with a $5.325 million average annual value, according to Evolving-Hockey.
The 29-year-old was the Florida Panthers' sixth-round pick in 2010 but has played all of his 345 NHL games with Toronto. On top of being one of the league's top forecheckers, Hyman has blossomed into a reliable top-six producer. He had 15 goals and 18 assists through 43 contests in 2021, which works out to a 63-point pace over an 82-game season.