The Oilers will likely be without Zach Hyman for at least a week after he went into concussion protocol Monday night against Detroit.
The back of his head slammed into the glass on a check from Andreas Englund. Nothing about the play looked out of the ordinary.
That's what makes this one so frustrating. A routine battle along the boards turned into another hole in Edmonton's lineup.
The 34-year-old needed help getting off the ice, and the early read pointed to a head issue.
Englund, a Detroit defenseman on a $900,000 cap hit, was simply finishing his check. There's no villain in this one.
The clip shows the forward's head snapping back into the glass as Englund finishes the play, then Hyman needing help just to reach the bench.
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Jason Dickinson set to return for Oilers as Zach Hyman enters concussion protocol
The timing is cruel. Jason Dickinson is set to return Wednesday against Calgary.
He's dressed for only three games this season, so Edmonton gets one forward back right as another one goes down.
Mattias Ekholm is still day-to-day, expected out until at least Oct. 31.
Darren Dreger had already questioned the Oilers' depth. “You just hope that the reasons for having to do those things don't become more obvious,” he said.
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Losing Hyman now is like fixing one flat tire and pulling over an hour later with another.
His start has been quiet, with one goal through five games. But his value has always shown up in the dirty areas, not the box score.
Stan Bowman now has a real decision to make. At $5,500,000, Hyman isn't the kind of piece you replace with a call-up.
And Bowman shouldn't wait around to see whether a third injury comes next.
Edmonton opened the night at 8-2-1, still first in the Pacific.
The Battle of Alberta comes Wednesday. Mike Babcock gets Dickinson back, but how he fills Hyman's spot will show how much he trusts the bottom of this lineup.
Should Stan Bowman add a forward while Zach Hyman is out?
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