Toronto Maple Leafs star rookie, Auston Matthews is a two-way, dynamic player with a near complete game at the age of 19 years-old, not even one full season into his NHL career.
Much of his recent success can be attributed to his skill and his skill alone, but there’s more than meets the eye with this kid. He’s not a selfish player and he certainly hasn’t propelled forward on his own without the help of those who surround him and lift him up.
One name that often gets overlooked or simply left out of the discussion when analyzing Matthews game is that of Zach Hyman, the underappreciated Robin, quintessential to Matthews success and that of his team.
Zach Hyman
Hyman is an interesting case or the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was drafted 123rd overall to the Florida Panthers in the 2010 NHL draft, in which he never suited up for the club. On June 19, 2015, he was acquired by the Leafs in exchange for center Greg McKegg, signing a two-year entry-level contract.
There wasn’t much excitement when Hyman was acquired and some may even argue that there was a bit of animosity because the Leafs gave up McKegg, a 62nd overall pick by the Leafs in the 2010 NHL draft. An analysis of McKegg’s performance is that he is a player with good hockey sense and a natural goal scorer, something the Leafs were in short supply of at the time.
Hyman started his professional career with the Toronto Marlies in the 2015-16 season, producing 37 points in 59 games played. A promising start that started to turn some heads as well as catching the attention of Leafs head coach, Mike Babcock, who speaks well of Hyman’s capabilities and overall play. He would later be recalled to the Leafs lineup at the tail end of the 2015-16 season, playing in 16 games and recording six points.
Entering training camp prior to the start of the 2016/17 season, Hyman had a good chance of making the club and grabbing a roster spot. Too much of his credit, he worked hard and it paid off landing him a spot on the roster with the Leafs to begin the 2016-17 season. He already had the favor of Babcock, which never meant that life would be a cakewalk for him as an NHL pro, he had to work hard, improve and produce, and he’s done just that.
Making a Name
Hyman started the year as one of Matthews wingers, where we still seem him play. He failed to produce the points some thought
were necessary for playing with such an elite talent early on, calling for his removal from the Matthews line. This is where he excelled and became the most important secondary figure to Matthews game. He pushed himself along with excellent coaching and started to play a much larger and prominent role for the Leafs as time progressed.
Like any player playing with one of the league’s best (Chris Kunitz playing with Sidney Crosby), Matthews play enhanced Hyman’s and in turn, the favor was reciprocated. There is a chemistry that has formed between the two. I would argue that Hyman is the first to most pucks when he’s on the ice, an excellent resource for such as offensive threat such as Matthews to utilize.
Hyman does the dirty work, he’s a grit kind of guy. He’ll battle hard for pucks, finishes checks, plays a full 200-foot game, resulting in puck possession in which he can hand it off to his linemate Matthews who will dazzle his way to the net for a scoring chance, a lot of the time resulting in a goal, 28 to be exact after a beautiful goal against the Carolina Hurricanes last night.
He’s established himself as a centerpiece for this club in their rebuilding stage because of his determination and love of the game. He’s a pro, a class act well beyond his years. Not only does he do work that doesn’t show up in the box score, but this guy can produce points. In 58 games played this season, Hyman has been able to produce 23 points and a team-leading three short-handed goals.
Penalty Kill Weapon
Mike Babcock has an arsenal for his penalty kill units with the likes of Nikita Zaitsev, Morgan Rielly, Roman Polak, Connor Brown, Nikita Shoshnikov, Leo Komarov, Ben Smith, and Zach Hyman. Currently, the Leafs sit ninth overall in penalty kill at 83.5%, a big improvement from years past. But one player stands out among the rest in terms of PK. Can you guess who? That’s right, Zach Hyman.
He finds loose pucks, tangles up opponents, and clears the puck better than anyone else on the team. On top of that, as previously mentioned, he’s produced three short-handed goals when down one man, tying a Leafs franchise record in the process with 22 games remaining to make it his own.
Zach Hyman is employed by Babcock in almost any situation on the PK against any of the opposition because he has his trust. He is capable of being that go-to-guy in those types of situations and will continue to be as his play is still improving in his development process.
Playoff Push
As the Leafs push forward to the hope of seeing the playoffs, one can only help but hope they grab a top three spot in the Atlantic Division. In order to do that they would have to gain traction to knock out the Boston Bruins out of contention for third. With the persistence of Zach Hyman and the efforts of his supporting cast, that goal may actually happen. The Leafs are sitting in the last Wild Card spot in the East with teams nipping at their heals.
If Hyman keeps up his impervious work ethic up and continues to create chances, he will help the Leafs make the postseason for the first time since 2013. It’s imperative that he stays healthy as I believe he is a core component of the team and a valuable member of the Matthews line.