Zach Hyman and the Edmonton Oilers are gearing up to face the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.
Hyman has evolved into one of the NHL's top goal-scorers and offensive threats, but there's still a lot of talk about his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In a recent interview with NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger, Hyman expressed his lingering attachment to Toronto.
It wasn't about money, I'd have loved to be a Maple Leaf for life. 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.
Hyman signed a seven-year, $38.5 million contract with the Oilers in the summer of 2021, which includes a no-movement clause for the first five years. Playing alongside Connor McDavid and blossoming into a superstar, Hyman is in no hurry to use that clause.
Reminder
Zach Hyman's contract when signed $5.5 million x7
Dubas insisted on having;
Alex Kerfoot - $3.5 million (no trade protection) Justin Holl- $2 million (modified no trade clause)
The Leafs could've had a heart and soul guy but inisted on a funny guy and a cardio merch
This season, Hyman scored a career-high 54 goals, smashing his previous best of 36. He's kept up that production in the playoffs, netting 14 goals in 18 games.
For Leafs fans, it's bittersweet. They never wanted to see Hyman leave and now have to watch him and the Oilers get closer to winning the Stanley Cup, while the Leafs have struggled to get anywhere near since his departure.