"The Toronto Maple Leafs lost a couple of familiar faces and key locker room figures this offseason.
One of those was forward Zach Hyman.
Hyman was extremely popular in the locker room and left everything out on the ice every time he played.
That's exactly why the Edmonton Oilers were more than willing to dish out a 7 year contract for Hyman with a $5.5million AAV.
Hyman said he was waiting for confirmation the Leafs wouldn't have him back then chose the place that wanted him the most.
«I had to know that I was leaving Toronto, and then I was able to make a make a decision,» said Hyman.
«Most players don't play their entire career in one place and that's a reality,» Hyman added. «For me, I wanted to go to the place that wanted me the most, and had the best chance to win, and had the best chance for me to develop as a hockey player and Edmonton checked those boxes.»
«There's a lot of parallels between Toronto and Edmonton,» he said. «In Toronto, we had great teams but we didn't have success. Edmonton is positioned in such a great way to make it to make a long run and win a Stanley Cup. That's everybody's goal. That's the reason I chose to come and play here.»
«Even though we didn't win and we didn't get over the metaphorical hump, I think that from the time I got there to the time that I'm leaving the organization, from a culture standpoint, from a hockey standpoint, from an expectation standpoint of where the team is, I think it's dramatically different. And for a Toronto kid to have the opportunity to play for his hometown team and start his NHL career, I couldn't ask for anything more,»
«I can honestly say that every time I put the Leafs jersey on, I gave it everything I had,»
What do you think of Hyman's comments?"
