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Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman is expected to miss the rest of the Stanley Cup playoffs due to surgery for an upper-body injury he suffered in Game 4 against the Dallas Stars, coach Kris Knoblauch announced. 

In the first period of the Oilers' 4-1 win, Hyman attempted to dodge a big hit from Stars forward Mason Marchment in the neutral zone. Hyman managed to get most of his body out of the way, but Marchment clipped his arms. Hyman's upper-body twisted, and he immediately dropped his stick before skating off the ice in discomfort. He did not return to the game. 

Since joining the Oilers in 2021, Hyman has been a consistent producer in the top six. In the regular season, Hyman was second on the team with 27 goals, and his five playoff goals are tied for fourth.

With Hyman out, an already top-heavy Edmonton roster will have its depth tested even more. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has already elevated his game with four straight multi-point performances in the Western Conference Final.

Outside of Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton will need more scoring from players like Evander Kane, who hasn't scored since Game 4 of the last round against the Vegas Golden Knights. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been exceptional, as expected, but they will need more support without Hyman at the top of the lineup.

We'll see if the Stars can take advantage of Hyman's absence as they face elimination the rest of the way. Dallas has arguably the deepest forward group in the NHL, but it hasn't shown up in this conference final. Mikko Rantanen has yet to score, Wyatt Johnston is on a seven-game point drought, and veterans like Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn have just one goal all postseason. That has to change if Dallas is going to get back in the series in Game 5.