Oilers look to rally around injured Hyman on return to Stanley Cup

The Edmonton Oilers held an optional skate on Wednesday morning. The Florida Panthers held a full skate.

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Connor McDavid was the first player to console Zach Hyman after the Oilers winger sustained a dislocated wrist in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final. 

"Gave me a big hug and, honestly, that’s when I broke down," said Hyman. "Meant a lot."

At the time, Hyman was still trying to process how an innocuous-looking hit by Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment could end his season. 

"Right away I felt my wrist kind of go on me," Hyman said. "Even then you still think whatever it is you’ll be able to play through it or there will be a chance you can play through it. Not going to go into the details, but quickly realized when I saw the doctors that [it] was something that needed surgery and something that I wasn’t going to be able to play through. I think I was still a little delusional that I could play through it until after the surgery, obviously."

When the Oilers clinched the series against the Stars in Game 5 and secured a return to the Stanley Cup Final, the team FaceTimed Hyman so he could be a part of the celebration. 

"It meant the world," the 32-year-old from Toronto said. "I wasn’t expecting it. It was the day after my surgery. I was sitting on the couch with my wife and mother-in-law just watching. It caught me off guard. I was crying. It was really emotional."

 In a gutted Oilers dressing room after the Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers last year in the Stanley Cup Final, Hyman addressed the team and said he knew they would get back to the championship series. Those words proved prophetic and now the team will look to rally around Hyman as they look to turn the tables on the Panthers. 

"We want to do it for him," said Oilers winger Trent Frederic.

Oilers winger Connor Brown described Hyman as a "heart-and-soul guy."

"The way he plays speaks it speaks for itself, but what he means to guys in this room, it’s hard to articulate," said Brown, who also played with Hyman in Toronto. "When a guy like that goes down, there’s definitely a rally call. I think guys pull up their straps to play for him."

Hyman plans on "acting like I’m playing" during the Stanley Cup Final and will travel with the team. 

Hyman expects to be ready for the start of training camp next season.

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Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch described Brown, who hasn't played since Game 3 of the Western Conference Final, as a game-time decision. Brown missed Tuesday's practice for what he called "maintenance," but skated on Wednesday and told reporters he plans on playing.

"He brings a lot of energy," said Frederic. "He brings a lot of swagger, a lot of jam."

Brown's return would help mitigate the absence of Hyman. 

"Brown is a really good two-way player," Knoblauch said. "Right now we’re kind of short on right wingers with Hyman not being available so we’ll need some more guys stepping up."

Knoblauch lists Brown, Kasperi Kapanen, Viktor Arvidsson, Frederic and Corey Perry as candidates to step up.

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Perry is filling in on the right side of the Oilers top line beside McDavid, who leads the playoffs with 26 points in 16 games. 

"It’s always scary when he’s out there," said Panthers defenceman Gustav Forsling. "The way we play, we want to have a hard gap on the forwards. We’re not going to change now. We want to keep still playing a hard gap, but at the same time you gotta be smart."

The Panthers have accepted the fact that McDavid will do some damage in the series. He produced 11 points in seven games against the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final last year en route to the Conn Smythe Trophy. 

"He’s the best player in the world for a reason," said winger Brad Marchand. "You try to work as hard as you can to try and limit how many opportunities he gets. So hopefully you can keep it to 10 to 15 instead of 20 to 30."

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Kapanen is slotting in on the right side of the second line beside Leon Draisaitl. Wednesday will be his first taste of the Stanley Cup Final. 

"It means everything," said Kapanen, who was picked up off waivers by the Oilers from the St. Louis Blues in November. "It’s a culmination of a lot of years losing Game 7s in the first round and just a lot of first-round exits. I’m just extremely excited to be here and we have a great chance of winning."

Kapanen was a part of four playoff runs in Toronto, but the Leafs never advanced past the first round.  Playing under the microscope in the centre of the hockey universe prepared him for this opportunity in Edmonton. 

"I think in Toronto, obviously, the media presence is big there and not always necessarily the best thing, but it does prepare you for the future," the 28-year-old Finn told TSN. "And coming to Edmonton, with it being in Canada, I was used to it a little bit. But I think you guys in Toronto, it’s still on another level so that’s all I’m going to say about that."

Kapanen has scored three goals, including an overtime winner, in seven playoff games this spring.

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Panthers winger A.J. Greer will miss Game 1 due to a lower-body injury. 

Jesper Boqvist will take Greer's spot on Florida's fourth line. Twice during this playoff run, Boqvist has emerged from the press box and scored in his first game back in the lineup. 

"He hasn’t been sitting for a long time," said coach Paul Maurice. "He’s had some pretty good success when he’s come in, and he fits."

Boqvist has two goals and three assists in 11 playoff games this season. He last played on May 26.