Zach Hyman returns for Oilers, Nugent-Hopkins next week

The Oilers' infirmary is about to empty out, and Jason Gregor laid out the whole timeline in one post.

Jason Gregor

@JasonGregor

Oilers injury update. Hyman will play tomorrow. Dach and Walman are very likely to play. RNH on track to return late next week v. CAR or TOR. Dickinson should return on homestand as well. Dach is on IR, so when activated, EDM needs to make a roster move. Could just put Dickinson on IR retroactive to last Tuesday and he'd be eligible to play this coming Tuesday.

Hyman is the big one. He picked up an upper-body injury in Edmonton's final preseason game against Calgary and was expected to miss about 2 weeks. That timeline turned out to be pretty accurate. He was reportedly really close to returning before the Kings game but still didn't play. Now it sounds like the wait is over, with Saturday's game in Utah the likely return date.

Edmonton didn't miss much without him, which is the wild part. The Oilers opened 5-0-1, their best start since the mid-80s, with Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, Dach and Walman all on the shelf at the same time. Getting a guy who had 31 goals and 52 points in 58 games last season back into that lineup is just unfair. It's like signing a top-6 winger at the deadline without giving anything up.

RNH is the next domino. He hurt his lower body in a practice before the season and went on injured reserve, which left the Oilers without their second-line center. Gregor has him targeting late next week vs. Carolina or Toronto. Once he and Hyman are both back, Edmonton basically gets a whole second line back without making a trade.

Now the boring roster math. Dach is on IR, so when he's activated the Oilers have to clear a spot. Gregor's suggested fix is clean: put Jason Dickinson on IR retroactive to last Tuesday, which would make Dickinson eligible to play again this coming Tuesday. Dickinson is already expected back during the homestand, so that move wouldn't really cost Edmonton anything.

What to watch: Hyman's minutes Saturday, whether Dach and Walman actually play, and how Edmonton's lines shake out once Nugent-Hopkins is back. A team that's already winning with half its depth in the press box is about to get it all back. Good luck to the rest of the West.