Zach Hyman is still a first-line player. Don’t fall for the claims that he is aging or that there is a shiny new toy ready to replace him. Hyman isn’t old. He hasn’t slowed down, in fact, he had a very productive season last year, and a first-round loss to Anaheim doesn’t change that.

Forty-five players scored 30-plus goals in the NHL last season, and only one did it playing fewer than 60 games. Hyman scored 31 goals in 58 games. The next closest in fewest games played were Leon Draisaitl with 35 goals in 65 games and William Nylander with 30 goals in 65 games.

Hyman missed the first 19 games of the season recovering from wrist surgery. When he returned, he wore a wrist brace as he had yet to regain full strength and mobility. He scored one goal in his first eight games, as he tried to jump on the speeding train of the regular season on Nov. 15. His first two weeks were akin to a preseason for him as he regained his timing and game conditioning.

From Dec. 3 onward, he scored 30 goals in his final 50 games and was one of only nine players to score 30-plus goals in that span. Connor McDavid and Cole Caufield led the league with 37 goals in 55 and 56 games, respectively, over that span.

Hyman is still an elite goal scorer. His relentless work ethic, ability to win puck battles along the boards and in front of the net make him a unique player. In today’s NHL, where brute physicality and punching prowess aren’t the calling card past power forwards needed, Hyman is one of the premier power forwards in the game.

While it is fun to project line combinations in the off-season, any projection that doesn’t have Hyman in the top six is misguided in my eyes. Hyman is the best winger option for McDavid, except when Mike Babcock wants to deploy McDavid with Draisaitl. And when Babcock loads up those two, Hyman will be the driving force on the second........

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