The Edmonton Oilers are going to look a little younger next season, and boy, did they need it.
There’s no denying the collective impact that the older players had on the Oilers’ lineup—something like Corey Perry throwing hits at 40 as if he were 20 years younger. But when Oilers colour commentator Louie DeBrusk stated on OilersNation that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were upset at the locker room change ahead of the 2024-25 season, things started to make sense.
The loss of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to the St. Louis Blues’ offer sheet sucked an air of youth out of the Oilers’ lineup and left it with players who could do little more than look to the next guy for help.
This ‘next guy’ was, of course, 30 or up—I’m not looking at you, Vasily Podkolzin.
Instead of players who were hungry to play in the NHL day in and day out alongside the best talent in the world and nothing but potential, there were weathered players who couldn’t lift the locker room spirit the same way they lit up the scoreboard.
Glue guys is what we call them, and the Oilers didn’t have enough.
That is, until now, hopefully.
With McDavid viable for a contract extension, it was pretty clear he was going to have a say on next seasons roster, and if he really was upset at the lack of youth in the locker room, that it makes sense why Matt Savoie and Isaac Howard are primed to take a roster spot next season.
Albeit, bottom to middle six (we think).
A little bit about the new guy:
It’s pretty rare for a hockey player to request that the media call him by his nickname, but it’s not a bad thing.
Howard, known as “Ike” (his middle name), was traded to the Oilers from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for former Oilers prospect Sam O’Rielly.
“I’m super siked,” began Ike Howard. “It’s such an unreal opportunity. I’m grateful that Tampa was able to get this done.
“I knew there was a possibility of a trade, I wasn’t trying to put all my chips in one basket, and I found out about an hour before everyone else last night. I knew this was probably the spot I wanted to go.”
Howard refused to sign with Tampa for reasons that still remain unclear, but his sign-and-trade with the Oilers means that his time with Michigan State in the NCAA is over.
The left-winger was 26-26-52 in his junior year and bolstered a career best in terms of point production.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for (Michigan State),” continued Howard. “Everyone has such high class. It’s helped a lot of the ice. They preach development first, and if you buy in, you can get the most out of this place, and I think I did.”
During his welcome to Edmonton press conference, Howard discussed in length his ability to contribute to locker room chemistry and lighten the mood—geez, wonder who needs that?
“I’m just going to try and be myself,” stated Howard. “I love the game and I love what I do, and I think that can rub off on people in a good way.
“Just being upbeat, and you always want good vibes in the locker room. I like to have fun at times, and at the same time, I think I’m just a super serious guy and hockey-driven.”
Now, a little about Savoie:
The 21-year-old right-shot center, or winger, was fifth in AHL rookie scoring last season with 54 points. He’s a proven penalty killer and can add speed to the Oilers’ bottom-six.
Savoie played four games with the Oilers during the 2024-25 regular season, scoring an assist, before returning to the Bakersfield Condors.
Like Howard, Savoie was a first-round draft pick traded to the Oilers from the Buffalo Sabres for a young player (Ryan McLeod) and a prospect (Tyler Tullio).
Now that Savoie has succeeded as a top-line winger in the AHL, it’s about time that he took a roster spot on the Oilers’ lineup, not that the club has much of a choice.
Their limited cap space and few NHL-ready prospects in the minors or elsewhere mean that young, talented, and inexpensive players on entry-level contracts will have to suffice.
That said, the Oilers have now addressed the aforementioned need to bring some youth into the team. They can now only hope it is enough.
