Toronto Maple Leafs: Comparing Zach Hyman to Mark Osborne

Mark Osborne was a hard forechecker for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the late 80s and early 90s.

Now 30 years later, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a new Osborne in Zach Hyman. The Leafs acquired Osborne from the New York Rangers for Jeff Jackson and a third round pick in 1989 (Rob Zamuner).

The Leafs acquired Hyman from the Florida Panthers for Greg McKegg in 2015.

Similarity #1: Strong Forechecking

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Osborne not only produced for his team, he was also a very strong forechecker. Back when the dump and chase method was still a new concept, he was already very good at it.

He’d go in hard with a lot of speed to force the other team to make a mistake. From there, he would make a play to either score or set up one of his teammates.

Hyman is very similar in this sense. Playing on a line with two stars in Auston Matthews and William Nylander, he has adopted the role of forechecking.

Like a dog chasing a bone, he will not stop until he gets the puck. From there, just like Osborne, he will either try to score or set up one of his star teammates.

Similarity #2: Set-Up Man

Over his career, Osborne had 531 points in 919 games, while 319 of those points were assists. With his strong forechecking, he was able to win battles in the corners and find an open lane to set up a teammate. In the 1989-90 season, he had 73 points in 78 games with 50 being assists. Osborne was able to become an effective player using the dump and chase method.

Hyman, despite what some fans think, is a core piece of the Leafs franchise. Having an effective dump and chase player is needed for success in today’s NHL. Last season, Hyman had 28 points with 18 of them being assists. Despite being a rookie this past season, Hyman is already one of the top forecheckers in the league. He was able to get the puck out of the corners effectively and set up one of Matthews or Nylander for a goal nightly.

Similarity #3: Great Penalty-Killers

Osborne was a good offensive player, but he also knew how to play defense. This was a big help for him when his production started to drop because teams would use him in a defensive role. With his defensive skills, he would be put on the penalty kill and become a specialist at it, prolonging his career because of the need in the market for a player like him.

Hyman is a bit different but has some similarities. He’s different because he’s not a goal scorer, his main offensive attribute is his forechecking. However, his defensive play is a key part of his game and one of the main reasons he is in the NHL. By being a PK specialist, Hyman is able to use his strong skating and forechecking to push the opposing team away from his defensive zone. He shows that in his stats as well, four of his 10 goals were shorthanded. He also ranked second in the league in that category.

Conclusion

Both players are very strong forecheckers. Hyman uses the same type of system to go into the opposing zone and retrieve the puck as Osborne did. With this, they are able to effectively set-up their teammates to help their team win games. This allows them to be offensive threats in addition to being strong defensively. Both players are PK specialists and use that to their advantage. Osborne used it to prolong his NHL career while Hyman is using it to further develop his career in the NHL.

If I had to choose one player, it would have to be Hyman. I like Osborne and his offensive game was very good, but Hyman is a better forechecker and just completed his rookie season. While Osborne is a better set-up man, Hyman has him beat in the other two categories. Both players are great at what they do, but Hyman’s defensive game is superior.

Next: The 'John Tavares Idea'

Join me next week for another comparison between the past and present Leafs players.

*stats from hockeydb.com & nhl.com