Former Toronto Maple Leaf Zach Hyman was hoping to reach the 50-goal mark for the first time in his career last night against the Leafs in front of his family and friends in Toronto. Unfortunately, that didn't occur. Hyman is no stranger to disappointment in Toronto, as long before he missed out on scoring his 50th in his hometown, he was also shunned in 2021 by then Leafs GM Kyle Dubas, sending him to free agency for the first time in his career.
As many will recall, Hyman's negotiations with the Leafs back in the summer of 2021 were very public. Hyman was eying a deal close to the $5M range per season over 8 years, while the Leafs were less than motivated to commit that much term or money to Hyman knowing that extensions for Matthews and Nylander were on the horizon in a few short seasons. In the end, Hyman ended up inking a 7-year deal at $5.5M per season with the Edmonton Oilers, but that's not the way he wanted things to end in Toronto.
Ahead of last night's game, Hyman was asked about returning to Toronto and leaving the Leafs for Edmonton in free agency in 2021. Hyman was very transparent about how that all transpired. More than anything, he wanted it to be known that remaining a Leaf was always his priority, until Dubas slammed the door in his face.
In the first two years of his deal in Edmonton, Hyman scored 27 and 36 goals and has exploded for what will be his first 50+ goal season at 31-years-old. While Leaf fans wanted Hyman back, they were happy to see him get paid, but were weary of giving him a seven-year deal due to his injury history and lack of success in the playoffs. Now, however, I'm sure just about every Leafs fan wishes that Hyman had never left.
