Connect with us

NHL News

Maple Leafs Give Hyman’s Agent Permission to Speak with Other Teams

The Toronto Maple Leafs have granted Zach Hyman’s agent permission to speak with other NHL teams.

Things could get interesting on the Zach Hyman front here in a few days. As reported by Darren Dreger the Toronto Maple Leafs have granted Zach Hyman’s agent Todd Reynolds permission to speak to other teams interested in trading for his rights. Could this mean a trade is pending? Perhaps not, but there have been some whispers that a team might look to make a move ahead of free agency.

Related: Potential Fallout if Maple Leafs Are Unable to Re-Sign UFA Zach Hyman

Dreger noted specifically on a radio show last week that, if he were Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland, he’s be picking up the phone and trying to get a head start on negotiations. It is not clear if the Oilers are at all involved in these potential talks with Hyman and his agent. He added, “Considerable interest in Hyman league wide. Some teams hoping to get the jump early, some need to wait until after expansion draft…cap teams willing to move pieces. Leafs control process until the 28th, but trade allows Hyman the potential of a maximum 8 year deal elsewhere.”

What’s also interesting about this news, Pierre LeBrun reports that the Maple Leafs have not give the same permission to Frederik Andersen’s camp LeBrun writes, “Read into that what you will.”

The belief has been that Hyman will test the free agent market. This news all but confirms that he’s looking outside the Maple Leafs organization instead of signing a hometown discount to stick with the team on an extension. There aren’t many opportunities for a NHL player to cash in on free agency and Hyman stands to be the one forward this offseason who can make the most by going to market. Even if a team does trade for his rights, there’s no guarantee he signs there. The one bonus that team does have over others is that they can then offer an eight-year deal.

Zach Hyman Maple Leafs
Zach Hyman Maple Leafs

Hyman Is Going to Get Paid

We reported comments from LeBrun on Wednesday night that there was a sizeable gap in positions with Leafs at the and Hyman. It stands to reason that any team looking to get him signed is going to need to invest heavily in the winger and while he offers a number of attributes teams will want, big money over the long term could be a bit of a risk.

He’s a top six forechecker who has been consistently excellent at driving offence and pretty productive as well. In short, he’s an analytics darling. All that said, his style of play can lend itself to injuries and at 29 years old, a long-term deal could put him around 36 or 37 when it’s over.

Next: Canadiens’ Shea Weber Dealing with Potential Career Threatening Injury

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Pingback: Maple Leafs Among 3 Teams Targeting Goaltender Darcy Kuemper

  2. Pingback: Maple Leafs Among 3 Teams Targeting Goaltender Darcy Kuemper – Hockey 1 on 1

Leave a Reply

More News

Discover more from NHL Trade Talk

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading