Who’s going to replace Zach Hyman?

51 hits to 39 in a game that had the potential to give the Edmonton Oilers a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup final against none other than the greasy, get-in-your-face Florida Panthers, can only be described as one thing—not good enough.

It’s harsh, focused, and a small scale until you consider that the Oilers’ abismal 39 hits is their lowest per game average since the Vegas Golden Knights series when they could get away with it.

There was no Sam Bennet in front of Stuart Skinner, or smart-mouthed Brad Marchand scoring overtime winners or getting tangled up with Connor McDavid during the faceoff, and especially no cross-checking after the whistle was blown by Mathew Tkachuk.

The Knights were softer, easier to manage, and more prone to giving up a goal by Victor Arvidsson than instigating a penalty from him.

But hey,” said the hockey fan. “What about Zach Hyman? He was around during that Vegas Series.”

Fair point.

Hyamn averaged seven hits per game against the Los Angeles Kings, another seven against the Knights, and 10 against the Dallas Stars.

You know, just about a quarter of the Oilers’ hits—40 per game against the Kings, 35 against the Knights, 45 against the Stars with Hyman, and 43 without.

Take away Hyman’s 10 hits per game in the Western Conference final, and that 43 should look a lot like a 33, and the Oilers should look like a much weaker team.

Instead, the numbers suggest nothing changed. Sorry, they suggested nothing changed.

Now, the Oilers are playing like they’re a key piece short, and this wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t the Stanley Cup finals, and these weren’t the Panthers (49 hits per game).

So you see, the Oilers are exactly where they want to be, in the finals, and in the exact circumstances they shouldn’t want to be in, without Hyman.

How does a team go about making up for such a loss?

For one, understand how to play like the piece they’re missing.

“It wasn’t like I was going out there and looking for hits, I’m going to go out there and I finish every check,” explained Hyman on the Spittin’ Chicklets podcast. “In the past, you don’t appreciate what the investment is of bumping a guy every time.

“You don’t have to go out there and kill a guy, but if you’re hitting their top defencemen every single shift, and they know that you’re coming every single shift, that’s not fun for a defenceman.”

Step number one: make a mental note to make one hit per shift. And secret step number two: be the type of player that can (size, speed, less critical to scoring goals, et cetera).

“It just developed,” continued Hyman. “I said I’m just going to hit somebody, every shift if I can.”

Solid thinking, and an easy enough understanding of how Hyman had 111 hits in the postseason. But who can keep it going?

There are a few options, and how could the first one not be “The Worm.”

Corey Perry, 40 years old and still getting into fights, would proudly pick up the mantle and check Bennet into game seven with a smile on his face if his body would let him.

Alas, there are a few things that even Perry is forced to accept.

His game is too slow these days to hunt guys down, drop the gloves, and score from six feet in front of/in the net—a Zach Hyman specialty.

“I’m not gonna change my game (or) chase it,” said Hyman on being more physical while scoring.

And neither should Perry; he does what he does, and he does it well.

So option one, scratched.

Option two, Darnell Nurse.

161 hits in the regular season and a solid comment during a between-game press conference in Florida this morning to bump himself up the list of potential candidates.

“It doesn’t start when you get to the net,” explained Nurse on protecting the crease. “You want to make it as difficult as possible (for them) to get there in the first place.

“It’s a battle zone there.”

That it is, and it’s a defenceman’s job to guard the area around the goaltender, man the blue line, and get a little aggressive on the backcheck when necessary.

What perhaps is not a defenceman’s job is to hunt down a fellow defenceman, commit to every check, and leave the blue line a little less secure.

Throw it down when necessary? Absolutely.

Pursue the puck and, coincidentally, other players? Not so much.

Which brings us back to our last, and most viable option.

Trent Frederic, or as the Oilers say, “Big Boy Freddie.’

With a name like that, he’s already off to a good start.

Frederic averaged three hits per game against the Kings, four against the Knights, and five against the Stars.

Not to mention, he was brought to Edmonton to expel all notions of a soft Oilers team and commit to a Hyman-level physicality in the playoffs. Beyond that, Frederic checks a lot of boxes.

He’s got the size: 6’3, 221 lbs.

He’s got the speed to finish every check and play the puck.

And while he hasn’t opened the floodgates on any scoring potential yet, perhaps a Josh Andersson-level fight against Tom Wilson could be the key to such a shift in momentum.

“There’s so many things that need to happen on a playoff run,” added Hyman. “So many guys need to step up.”

And right now, it’s Trent Frederic.