Edmonton Oilers
Ridiculous Zach Hyman Tweet Lives On in Infamy Despite Removal
One Maple Leafs publication took down an outrageous tweet about Zach Hyman from 2022. Why is that tweet still so popular?
Just over a year ago, a publication called Editor in Leaf decided to post a series of tweets about Zach Hyman. The former Toronto Maple Leafs forward signed a multi-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers in 2021, leaving the Leafs with no return and after being offered a sizeable deal. Some fans were hurt. Others were OK with letting Hyman leave. This Twitter account (also a website on the popular FanSided network) tried to suggest Hyman was a bust.
Clearly, the way Hyman has played since joining Edmonton, his new deal worth $5.5 million per season has been a steal. Hyman has now scored 78 goals in 177 games for Edmonton. He leads the team with 15 this season, scored a hat trick on Wednesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, and has 26 points in 22 games. He seems to be upping his production every year and he’s been a major contributor to the Oilers’ recent playoff success.
Clearly, to say that “The Hyman contract is one of the worst contracts in the NHL. Possibly in NHL history” was a gross misread. It screamed of someone bitter about Hyman’s departure and the account was inundated with comments in the Twitter thread ever since. Many showed some respect for the author keeping the post up knowing a storm was coming. They defended it often, but ultimately seemed to see the light.
After Hyman’s hat trick, they finally took it down.
Not Going Away Quietly
What’s so interesting about the account is that they deleted the original post, then doubled down on it when called out for removing it. On Thursday, when a screen-grab of the post was shared in another thread, the account wrote, “I stand by that. Just because you’re one in a million shot worked out, doesn’t mean it was a good idea.” They then went on to talk about how Hyman was effectively replaced by Michael Bunting for much less money and turned into a much better player than Hyman over his two seasons in Toronto and while Hyman was in Edmonton.
It’s likely that comes back to bite this account too. Not only because Hyman was and is pretty good, but because the Leafs no longer have Bunting. He’s now in Carolina, a productive member of the Hurricanes.
This Account Was Not Alone In Misreading the Oilers Signing of Hyman
This post was not written to take aim at the account who posted about Hyman and was proven to be incredibly wrong. They were way off base, but they weren’t alone. Many Toronto fans lashed out when Hyman left, using insults to cover up the fact that Toronto might have mishandled Hyman’s contract negotiations.
No, this is more about giving Hyman props. He took a shot and left a team he was familiar with. He joined a club where the environment was just right to have a huge impact and he has capitalized on the opportunity. Hyman has proved he’s every bit the forward many thought he would be and then some. It’s commendable.
It’s unlikely the account who blasted Hyman will ever admit to being wrong. That’s not abnormal. All that matters from an Oilers perspective is that they were right. Hyman has been a terrific addition. He’s money well spent, regardless of how some writers and fans in Toronto feel about his exit two seasons-and-change later.
Next: Oilers Extend Winning Streak with Dominant Win Over Hurricanes
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