The Edmonton Oilers have experienced what life without Leon Draisaitl has been like over the past three weeks, and now they’ll get a taste of life without Zach Hyman as well, as it’s reported he’ll miss the team’s next three road games.

Missing two bona fide first-line weapons from the lineup, combining for 66 regular-season goals this campaign, is a definite blow. As the saying goes, the Oilers will need to dig deep and find that extra gear, facing a major test of resilience over the next three games without Hyman.

While NHL_Sid recently outlined what the forward lines might look like with everyone healthy, with Hyman and Draisaitl out, finding the right mix up front will be crucial on the upcoming road trip, which includes matchups against the Utah Mammoth, San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings. Here’s how I’d set the forward lines:

The first line: Vasily Podkolzin – Connor McDavid – Matt Savoie

In my view, the Vasily Podkolzin, Connor McDavid, and Matt Savoie line shouldn’t have been broken up last game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The trio had been playing together over the last stretch of games, and while they didn’t produce lights-out results in the previous three games they played together, with only a 1–0 combined goal share, they did control play against the opposition, outshooting them a combined 20–12.

Podkolzin, like he has all season, is hard on the forecheck, gets the puck in his linemates’ hands with ease, and chips in on the scoresheet, while the blossoming chemistry between McDavid and Savoie has Oilers fans giddy that the captain may have a fixture on the wing for years to come.

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9:43 PM · Mar 28, 2026

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Moreover, among Oilers who’ve played regularly in the top six this season, Savoie and Podkolzin statistically have the best goals for per 60 minutes when playing with the Oilers’ captain at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick, with Savoie........

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