Fansided

2020 NHL Season: Grading the Toronto Maple Leafs’ left wingers at season pause

By Simon Vacca

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 11: Zach Hyman #11 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates a goal against the Arizona Coyotes during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 11, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Coyotes 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 11: Zach Hyman #11 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates a goal against the Arizona Coyotes during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 11, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Coyotes 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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SUNRISE, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Zach Hyman #11 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates with the puck against the Florida Panthers during the first period at BB&T Center on February 27, 2020 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Zach Hyman #11 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates with the puck against the Florida Panthers during the first period at BB&T Center on February 27, 2020 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Zach Hyman

Games Played: 51
Goals: 21
Assists: 16
Points: 37

If former Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock was right about one thing, it was the underrated — and deeply under-discussed — value of left winger Zach Hyman.

The 27-year-old has only gotten better over the course of his tenure as a member of the blue and white. A brief look at his statistics illustrates the extent of this reality.

  • 2015-16 season: 16 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 6 PTS
  • 2016-17 season: 82 GP, 10 G, 18 A, 28 PTS
  • 2017-18 season: 82 GP, 15 G, 25 A, 40 PTS
  • 2018-19 season: 71 GP, 21 G, 20 A, 41 PTS
  • 2019-20 season: 51 GP, 21 G, 16 A, 37 PTS

As the numbers show, Hyman had already tallied the same amount of goals (21) during his most recent campaign as he had across the previous season. The forward reached this accomplishment in 20 less games and was well on his way to smashing previous highs in both assists and points when the NHL season was suspended in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hyman’s value to Toronto was perhaps most apparent when the winger was absent from the club’s lineup early in the 2019-20 campaign as a result of recovering from surgery on a torn ACL.

While not necessarily the most talented Maple Leaf, Hyman has certainly proven his worth to a club that is often criticized for its lack of effort. He digs well, forechecks hard, rarely — if ever — gives up on puck battles and has even added a scoring touch to his game through ushering forth adequate distribution and decent hands in front of the net. Hyman’s ability to sufficiently contribute to the wings of both Auston Matthews and John Tavares has earned him a reputation as one of the better first forwards (F1s) in the game — a feat that has not gone unrecognized among teammates.

In all, 2019-20 brought Maple Leafs fans the best version of Hyman to date. Look for more of this if hockey is to resume.

Grade: A+

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