The Oilers’ Zach Hyman returns to face his former team, but will do so in an empty arena

It’s a shame there isn’t a crowd to welcome Zach Hyman. Or boo him for leaving the Maple Leafs and signing with the Edmonton Oilers as a free agent.

But fans or non-fans, Hyman will line up against the team he loved as a child and developed him as a professional. It is a team full of friends.

“I’ve thought about it, but I haven’t thought about it too much in the sense that I don’t know how it will feel,” Hyman said. “You don’t know until you are playing, because it will be the first time that I play against those guys.

“But I imagine it will be just another game. It will be a little different without the fans there, so maybe it feels like a fight against those guys. But we are used to playing without fans; unfortunately, we did it a lot last year. It would have been a lot more meaningful if we had a whole building of fans. But it will still be something I remember, playing against these guys. “

Morgan Rielly, Leaf and Hyman’s longest-serving teammate from 2016 to 2021, will likely be the recipient of Hyman’s tenacious checks.

“He’s a good player and a good friend, and I think the way he plays makes it difficult for his opponents,” Rielly said. “It is important that our group is alert when he is on the ice. He likes to play with a lot of speed, a lot of intensity. So we will wait and see. But he usually plays pretty rough. I’m sure he will compete on Wednesday night. “

The Leafs beat the Oilers 5-1 in Edmonton on December 14. That was the Oilers’ sixth straight loss, and they are 2-2-2 since. It was just two games ago for the Leafs, who saw a bunch of games postponed immediately after the Edmonton game.

Hyman missed that game with a shoulder injury.

Hyman’s first game against his former team could end up being the focal point in a matchup that could be played without Leafs star Auston Matthews and Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who were sidelined Tuesday due to protocols. COVID. They were waiting for authorization to carry out more tests to see if they could play on Wednesday.

Just another kick in the teeth from COVID for hockey fans who will have to watch from home because they can’t get into the Scotiabank Arena.

“It is reality, right?” Hyman said. “I think people have been disappointed in the last few years, so I think everyone is used to it. Obviously you would like to have fans in the building and you would like it to be normal, and for everyone to play on both sides.

“But the reality is that we are still in this and we hope that we get out of it now and that things get back to normal soon.”

There was a lot of concern in the Leafs Nation about how the team could replace Hyman, who became a secondary goal scorer and always seemed to energize whatever lane he played on.

The role is now largely played by Michael Bunting, a bargain capped at $ 925,000 a year, compared to Hyman’s $ 5.5 million annual salary.

They are both from Toronto. They both grew up as Leaf fans. Bunting is 26, three years younger than Hyman. Bunting has seven goals and 12 assists in 34 games, averaging 14 minutes and 48 seconds of ice time. Hyman has 11 goals and nine assists in 30 games, averaging 19:05, which includes 1:54 per game on penalties.

When Hyman was Bunting’s age, he had his first 20-goal season (21 in 71 games played). But Hyman has a lot of hockey miles on his body, including knee surgery.

It’s probably not fair to compare Bunting, who is still officially a rookie, to Hyman, who is in the prime of his career.

“I don’t really pay much attention to that,” Bunting said. “I just focus on myself. I focus on my game every night, and that’s all that really worries me. He obviously had a great career in Toronto and has played well. And I’m sure he’s very excited to play with us. “

In fact, Hyman is.

“Toronto will always be my home,” Hyman said. “I’m back in the summer and it’s good to be back for a day. I really can’t do much. Everything is closed, obviously. But it’s always good to be back. “