With the way Connor McDavid’s teammates are playing — Zach Hyman, who’s been sizzling for the Edmonton Oilers for almost two months and connected with McDavid for the game-tying goal against the Washington Capitals, and Evan Bouchard, who recorded a six-point night against them — the topic on everyone’s mind just got even bigger: leaving these two red-hot players off Team Canada’s Olympic roster to play alongside their NHL captain feels like a giant swing and a miss.

Team Canada released their Olympic roster on December 31st, and, of course, Hyman and Bouchard didn’t make the cut. That said, perhaps that non-selection provided extra motivation, because in the 13 games since, their play has ranked them among the best in the NHL in both stats and underlying metrics.

Given how well they’ve played, it’s hard not to argue that both perhaps deserve a spot on Team Canada’s Olympic roster, and with that in mind, here’s a look at the impact they’ve had and their rankings in several statistical categories since Team Canada released its Olympic roster.

Hyman has recorded 12 points since New Year’s Eve, which ranks 40th among NHL forwards. Yet, the only forwards selected to Team Canada who have produced more points over that span are Mark Stone, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Brandon Hagel, Sidney Crosby, Nick Suzuki, and Macklin Celebrini.

That said, Hyman has scored the eighth-most goals in the NHL since the Olympic roster was released, scoring nine times and, among players selected to Team Canada, only Stone has more goals in that span, with 11 since December 31st. On a broader scale, to show just how scorching the Oilers forward has been, Hyman is tied for second in the NHL with 19 goals since December 1st.

Taking a look at his advanced metrics, which highlight how he tilts the ice and generates momentum for the Oilers, Hyman ranks as follows in several categories at 5v5 among forwards who have played at least 75 minutes since December 31st, according to Natural Stat Trick:

– 2nd in the NHL in high-danger chances for percentage (HDCF%) at 75.26%
– 4th in the NHL in expected goals for percentage (xGF%) at 69.63%
– 15th in the NHL in shots for percentage (SF%) at 63.13% (125–73)

Now, factoring in his play at all strengths, including the power play, since December 31st, Hyman ranks as follows:

– 1st in the NHL in HDCF% at 81.56%
– 4th in the NHL xGF% at 71.55%
– 5th in the NHL in SF% at 68.33%
– 5th in the NHL in scoring chances for percentage (SCF%) at 69.18%

That said, it’s unfortunate that the 33-year-old missed the first 19 games of the season, because if he hadn’t been out of the lineup in that early stretch, we likely wouldn’t be debating his case for Team Canada. Instead, we’d already be looking ahead to a future chapter in the writer-in-his-spare-time’s autobiography, reflecting on what it was like to play against the world’s best in Italy.

However, even after missing 19 games, Hyman’s 20 goals in 34 games put him on pace for 48 goals this season. What’s even more impressive is that his 1.75 goals per 60 minutes rank 7th in the entire NHL, highlighting just how dangerous a goal scorer he’s been this season as a whole.

That said, there’s still a tiny glimmer of hope that Hyman could be selected to Team Canada, with Brayden Point out of the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup since Jan. 12 after bending his leg awkwardly and still considered week-to-week.

Point, a right-handed shot, played with McDavid in stretches during the 4 Nations Face-off tournament, and the two meshed reasonably well. If he’s able to go, the possibility of him playing next to McDavid at 5v5 is fairly decent.

But if Point can’t go, why not select the right-handed Hyman, who has undeniable chemistry with the Oilers’ captain — a player who doesn’t need a couple of games to adjust to McDavid’s style and who McDavid is very comfortable feeding cross-ice tap-ins, just like the one they connected on last game against the Capitals to tie the game?

Nevertheless, Hyman remains positive, though being a replacement selection to Team Canada isn’t something he’s counting on. After the game against the St. Louis Blues on January 19th, where he recorded three points (two goals, one assist) and where Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong got a bird’s-eye view of his play, Hyman said, “I’ll be cheering for those guys, and if by chance there is an injury opening and I get selected, obviously it’d be a huge honour. Right now, it’s about helping this team win and doing everything I can.”

Now, if Hyman’s stats and underlying metrics have been impressive since Team Canada released its Olympic roster, Bouchard’s are in a league of their own.

Since December 31st, the Oilers’ blueliner ranks first among NHL defencemen in goals with seven, and is tied for first in points with 18, bringing his season total to 55.

Moreover, let’s take a look at his 5v5 underlying metrics, an area that often draws criticism from fans. Among blueliners who have played at least 75 minutes, since December 31st, Bouchard ranks as follows at 5v5:

– 1st in the NHL in expected goals (xG) at 18.37
– 2nd in the NHL in xGF% at 65.88%
– 2nd in the NHL in HDCF% at 70.25%
– 8th in the NHL in SCF% at 62.41%

Now, taking a look at his underlying metrics at all strengths, including the power play, his numbers leap to the number-one spot in several categories, just as anyone watching him play over the last month might predict:

– 1st in the NHL in xG with 32.73
– 1st in the NHL in xGF% at 67.33%
– 1st in the NHL in SCF% at 66.84%, with 260 scoring chances — also 1st in the league
– 1st in the NHL in HDCF% at 75%, with 132 high-danger chances — again 1st in the league

Simply put, since Team Canada released its Olympic roster, Bouchard has been on fire, by the eye test, goals, and advanced stats alike.

Naturally, we can’t get this far discussing Bouchard without revisiting his unforgettable night against the Capitals. The Oakville, ON native delivered a historic performance, becoming the first Oilers D-man to record a hat trick since Marc-Andre Bergeron did it nearly 20 years ago, the first Oilers D-man to post six points in a game since his former assistant coach Paul Coffey did it in the 1980s, and the first NHL D-man to tally six points and eight shots in a game since Bobby Orr in 1960 — which were just a few of his remarkable feats from that night.

Additionally, Bouchard made several key plays against the Capitals, namely his ability to pick his spots with pinpoint precision and score three goals. But perhaps equally impressive was his diving play to keep the puck in the zone with almost a minute left in the game with the net empty. He sprawled to keep the puck in and, later in the sequence, dished the puck to McDavid, who fed Hyman for the tying goal.

That said, his game-saving sprawl to keep the puck in against the Capitals isn’t the first time he’s made a clutch play at the blue line to keep the play alive with the game on the line. One of the most memorable instances came last playoffs, in Game 4 of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings. With 45 seconds left, down by a goal and the net empty, Bouchard picked off Quinton Byfield near the blue line, keeping the play alive and moments later, blasted home the game-tying goal with 28 seconds left.

Overall, the blueliner often gets criticized for his lackadaisical style at times, but when the stakes are high, he cranks the “give a damn metre” up a few notches and has made clutch defensive plays that led to huge goals. With the game on the line, there’s no other blueliner in the NHL I’d rather have to man the point in those high-pressure moments, maybe with the only exception being Cale Makar.

But imagine those two D-men in a hypothetical Olympic game scenario — down a goal or trying to win with a minute left — having Makar and Bouchard on the blue line, with Bouchard on his off-side ready to rip home one-timers, would be quite the luxury. I’d bet McDavid would agree. When asked if he should call Doug Armstrong, to get Bouchard on the Olympic team, the Oilers’ captain said, “He’s a heck of a player among a lot of great Canadian defencemen. It’s a good problem to have, but I’m sure management has been watching.”

All in all, hoping to see Hyman and Bouchard land spots on Team Canada at the Olympics may be wishful thinking, but the door isn’t completely closed. Injuries can happen, and Point’s status is still up in the air. Charter flights to Italy are set to depart on February 7th, and roster replacements can be made right up until the opening game on February 11th.