West Notes: Hyman, Nyquist, Reaves, Blackhawks

When the Oilers placed winger Zach Hyman on LTIR to start the season as he continues to recover from wrist surgery, the hope was that he’d be able to return as soon as he was eligible, that being November 1st.  However, that won’t be the case.  Earlier this week, head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters including Gerry Moddejonge of the Edmonton Journal that the veteran’s return will be at least another week away.  Knoblauch was quick to note that this isn’t an indication of a setback but rather that they’re being cautious to try to avoid any setbacks down the road.  Whenever Hyman does return, his addition will be a welcome one as he has scored at least 27 goals in each of the last four seasons.

More from out West:

• After being injured on Thursday, Jets winger Gustav Nyquist isn’t expected to play tonight versus Pittsburgh, notes Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press. Instead, head coach Scott Arniel indicated that they expect a more detailed update on Nyquist’s situation after the weekend.  The 36-year-old hasn’t scored in his first 11 games in a Winnipeg uniform but has collected five assists despite averaging a career-low 12:19 of ice time.
• Sharks winger Ryan Reaves is expected to receive further testing on his lower-body injury today, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). There is some concern that the injury, sustained on Thursday, is believed to be serious.  Reaves is in his first season with San Jose after being acquired from Toronto in an offseason swap and has two goals and 37 hits in ten games this season but is averaging just 6:43 per game of playing time.
• The Blackhawks have deployed the unconventional 11-forward, seven-defensemen lineup in all but two of their 11 games this season. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times examines the logic behind head coach Jeff Blashill’s logic, noting that the new bench boss is already thinking in terms of season-long load management, not wanting to overload his young blueliners.  Five of their seven defenders are 24 or younger so their goal is to not overwork them by going with an extra rearguard most nights over a 12th forward, hoping that the strategy will pay off as the season goes on.