The Edmonton Oilers‘ prospect pool is quite underwhelming, which is to be expected for a team that has been a contender the last several years. To the credit of their management, they have been able to add two very solid prospects to the fold.
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The first is Matt Savoie, who was acquired by the Oilers during the 2024 offseason from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Ryan McLeod. The other was a much more recent transaction, as the Oilers picked up Isaac Howard from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for prospect Sam O’Reilly. Ironically enough, O’Reilly was one of the better prospects the Oilers had, but they clearly felt Howard was closer to being NHL-ready.
Both Savoie and Howard are expected to be in the NHL this coming season, which has Oilers fans quite excited. Having young prospects set to come into the lineup is always exciting for a fan base, though it generally happens more often for teams that are in a rebuilding stage. The Oilers are instead in a Stanley Cup-contending stage, which is why fans should drastically temper their expectations for the two young forwards.
Neither May Be Ready
For years now, the Oilers have been trying to figure out a way to give Leon Draisaitl a true top-six winger. They attempted to do so last offseason by signing both Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson to deals, though neither panned out whatsoever, and both have since departed from the organization.
Now, it seems that many have concluded that both Savoie and Howard will be the two wingers Draisaitl has been longing for. There is certainly logic behind the mindset, as both are highly-talented forwards who were taken in the first round with the hope being that they would turn into offensive studs at the NHL level.
Both players certainly could turn out to be just that, as they have very high potential and have lived up to, if not exceeded, expectations at every rank they’ve played. That said, the NHL is a completely different beast, and expecting two players this young to come in and make big impacts in the top six is a big, if not ridiculous, ask.
Savoie has played just one pro season to date, and is still just 21 years old. His first pro season was a success, as he managed 19 goals and 54 points in 66 games with the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL). He also logged four games with the Oilers, where he registered an assist.
Those numbers are by no means anything to scoff at, especially for a player who only turned 21 in January. They suggest that Savoie will have a solid NHL career, though expecting him to produce at a high rate for a Cup contender as a very young rookie is a lot to ask. On top of that, he stands at just 5-foot-9, meaning he could take some time to adjust to the caliber of competition at the NHL level.
As for Howard, he has not logged a single NHL game to date. The 21-year-old won the Hobey Baker Award this past season with Michigan State University, where he dominated with 26 goals and 52 points in just 37 games. Those numbers certainly indicate he’s a good NHL prospect, though it seems Oilers fans are putting heavy expectations on him, as well.
Expecting a player who has never played a pro game to play top-six minutes on a line with one of the game’s best in Draisaitl is rather foolish. Howard will almost undoubtedly start the 2025-26 season with the Oilers, but there absolutely is a chance that he could wind up being re-assigned to the AHL if he struggles at any point. That would be nothing unusual from what we’ve seen with other prospects in the past.
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Like Savoie, Howard is also on the smaller size at 5-foot-11. He has been playing against players of similar age in college, ones that are smaller and far less mature than NHL players. He too could take some time to get used to the physicality, along with the speed, of the NHL.
Oilers Can’t Rely on Either
While both Savoie and Howard could wind up having solid rookie seasons, it’s crucial that Oilers management isn’t relying on either to have huge years. Coming into the NHL is a learning process, and expecting either to instantly become the point-producing winger they’ve been hoping to find for Draisaitl would be naïve, and has a chance to go south on them in a hurry.
