The Edmonton Oilers could face a potential roster crunch in the coming days. The club is hoping to get former 50-goal scorer Zach Hyman back into the lineup. Hyman has been out since last spring following a wrist injury that required surgery.
But Hyman is nearing his return to the ice this season. That situation could mean that the Oilers could ship out a top rookie to make room for Hyman in the lineup.
That top rookie is Isaac Howard. Howard, a former Hobey Baker Award winner as the NCAA’s top player, made the team out of camp this season. However, his place on the Oilers’ depth chart has fallen.
Howard is now playing on the fourth line, averaging under 10 minutes a night. The 21-year-old hit the ice for just seven minutes in the Oilers’ game against the St. Louis Blues on November 3. As such, Howard’s limited ice time at the NHL level isn’t precisely the most conducive to his overall success and development.
That’s why he’s the likeliest candidate to head down to Bakersfield once Hyman returns. According to PuckPedia, Hyman could be back on November 10. If that’s the case, the Oilers will need to send Howard down ahead of Hyman’s return. The good news is that Howard is waiver-exempt. So, the team can confidently send him down without risking a waiver claim.
Of course, sending Howard down might not mean the end of his time with the Oilers this season. Depending on how things go in the AHL and injuries with the big club, Howard could get another look this season.
Oilers Expected More from Howard this Season
One of the biggest issues leading to Howard’s potential return to the AHL has been his underwhelming production. Early in the season, the Oilers gave Howard a shot at playing with Connor McDavid and then Leon Draisaitl.
However, those opportunities have led to Howard producing just two goals and one assist in 14 games. While it’s natural that rookies take time to ease into the NHL, the Oilers hoped to see more from their prized prospect.
Since Howard’s production hasn’t lived up to expectations, he would benefit from playing top-six minutes in the AHL.
It’s worth noting that Hyman’s injury, among a lack of bottom-six depth for the Oilers, opened up an opportunity for Howard to get a shot at the NHL level. Unfortunately, it seems that the ship has sailed this season.
Howard Remains among Edmonton’s Most Promising Players
The Edmonton Oilers, like most Stanley Cup contenders, don’t have a plethora of young players coming up through the system. As such, Howard remains one of their most promising prospects. So, the Oilers would do well to exercise patience with Howard. There’s no real need to push him into a full-time NHL role at this point.
It’s also worth underscoring that the Oilers could be prioritizing bottom-six depth. The scoring just hasn’t been there with players like Trent Frederic and Adam Henrique simply not scoring. Edmonton may be looking to dip its toes in the trade market whenever it opens up this season.
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