Isaac Howard’s Future With The Edmonton Oilers – Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers
With all the injuries that have plagued the Edmonton Oilers in the second half of the regular season, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Bakersfield Condors have been getting a lot of calls, even in the last few games of the season. The latest call-up, Isaac Howard, has been on the rise between the minors and the NHL all season. What we’ve seen from both these levels of play and what the Oilers may be planning for the future will most likely involve a young player, and there are different ways it could go.
Related: Oilers May Bring Draisaitl Back in Round 1 of Playoffs
The 22-year-old hasn’t quite had the rookie season he or Edmonton envisioned in October when he made the opening night roster. However, there is no need to panic given his age and success at all other levels of play. The Oilers will need to make a decision on Howard soon, either this summer or next season.
Howard Breakout in 2026-27?
What could happen is that after Howard gets a rehab for the offseason and another good training camp, he becomes a big part of next season’s team. He arrived last summer in a trade to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and signed a contract soon after. This rookie season will be his first full time in the Oilers organization, and he is coming off a great season in the AHL.
Howard has 22 goals and 47 points in 45 AHL games, has a great attitude, and is extremely smart and strong with the puck. These things still take time to transfer to the NHL, but again, he’s a young player with very little experience. It will get there.
This is something we’ve already seen with full-time Oiler Matt Savoie. He also made the roster in training camp and had a slow start to the season. However, we’ve seen that as he’s gotten more ice time and been consistent in different competitions, he’s become a top-six defenseman. Savoie was able to play quality minutes alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and put up solid numbers in his rookie season. The same could happen to Howard in his second season.
Oilers Can Use Howard as Trade Bait
Another way the Oilers could go with Howard is the way they have gone with prospects in the past because of their “win now” mentality – trade. It couldn’t be better, considering the young striker’s potential and the price they initially paid to acquire him. Then again, the Oilers’ window to compete is getting smaller and smaller and there are assets out there that could take a top-tier prospect.
We’ve seen Edmonton’s brass use the farm system many times to bring in NHL-ready talent. Last season they sent first round pick Carl Berglund to the San Jose Sharks for Jake Walman. They also completed a three-way deal that sent two prospects to bring in Trent Frederic and Max Jones.
We also can’t forget one of the most impactful deals they’ve made in a long time, acquiring Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators. They sent back one of their top prospects at the time in Reid Schaefer in a brave but necessary move. It’s something the Oilers might consider with Howard.
He is a great young player who has all the opportunities in the world. Head coach Kris Knoblauch is not known for always using all the young talent at his disposal and prefers to rely on veterans. So while trading another veteran might be rash, it might also work within the current coaching style of the Oilers.
That being said, there is still time to decide on Howard’s future. We probably won’t see much, if any, of them in the postseason, so there’s more time for him to hone his craft and become the best version of himself.
