- Isaac Howard is the front-runner for the one scoring line spot Edmonton has left open
- The Athletic says the numbers point to Howard playing on Leon Draisaitl’s wing
- Read below for what Howard fixed in Bakersfield and where projections have him starting
The Oilers have one scoring line spot to fill at training camp, and the most talented player available for it has 29 NHL games on his resume.
Allan Mitchell of The Athletic wrote Sunday that Edmonton’s analytics department should be telling the coaching staff to put Isaac Howard on a line with Leon Draisaitl. Connor McDavid, Draisaitl and Zach Hyman own three of the six top-six spots. Matt Savoie is hurt.
Mitchell’s case rests on a small sample.
As a rookie, Howard scored two goals and five points in 283 even-strength minutes, and nearly all of it arrived beside the two stars. He went 1-1-2 in barely 10 minutes with Draisaitl and scored once in 30 minutes with McDavid. Away from them, his line got outscored 11-5 at five-on-five.
His first NHL goal is the clip that keeps coming up. McDavid forced a turnover in Ottawa on Oct. 21, Draisaitl pounced on the loose puck and fed the slot, and Howard beat Linus Ullmark five-hole. Check out the goal:
Howard was asked that night what it meant to have McDavid and Draisaitl in on his first one:
“That’s obviously super cool. Going to be a moment I’ll remember forever, and to have those two guys in on the goal is pretty special.”
Here’s the full scrum:
The bigger year happened in the minors. Howard piled up 24 goals and 50 points in 47 games for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, which is the production that got him back to Edmonton in the spring.
He explained in April what those months in Bakersfield changed in his game:
“Just keeping it simple, things away from the puck, just staying on pucks, hounding pucks, making sure in the D-zone always having the stick in the right spot.”
Mike Babcock makes the call, and not every projection lines up with Mitchell. Yahoo Sports’ Puck Drop Preview puts Howard on McDavid’s left wing to open the year, with Draisaitl centering Vasily Podkolzin and Savoie.
That version needs Savoie healthy, and he is still working back from the training injury that will cost him camp. Edmonton is short on excuses this season, so the winger question gets answered fast.
Either way, Howard opens the season next to a superstar center. Babcock only has to pick which one.
