The Edmonton Oilers reached the summer of 2025 in a spot of bother. After years of signing older veterans to long-term deals, which often included no-movement clauses, general manager Stan Bowman made a straight one-for-one deal in an effort to find a young goal-scoring winger to run with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.

This could have been accomplished via previous drafts, but a decade of dealing picks for immediate help left the cupboard bare. Bowman trading Sam O’Reilly to the Tampa Bay Lightning further diluted the future talent in the system, but acquiring an immediate plug-and-play scoring option was a high priority.

Ike Howard is an unproven goal-scoring left winger who has a chance to enter the league in the best possible situation for his player type. Playing on a McDavid or Draisaitl line is the ultimate landing spot for any winger, and Howard may have a chance to earn it this fall.

Does Howard have a real chance to win that job? Based on the age and recent performance of Edmonton’s incumbents, the answer is yes.

The McDavid wingers 

The Oilers suffered a down year with scoring wingers on the McDavid line. The slide offensively for the No. 1 trio included both of the captain’s most common linemates.

All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman were well off their numbers from previous seasons. Regression could occur, and McDavid had some injury issues during the year, with his five-on-five points per 60 falling from 3.5 to 2.65 year over year. It might be a one-season outlier.

That said, age on the wing has to be a concern. Nugent Hopkins is 32, Hyman is 33, and the offensive cliff often hits players at some point in their early 30s. Those 2024-25 numbers suggest it might be time to begin easing youth on to the top line.

There is no guarantee, but Howard gives the team a substantial young option on left wing. Matt Savoie, a different player (more playmaker than scorer), does basically the same on right wing. The fact that both young players are on value deals, and neither of them has a no-movement clause, has to be considered a positive for the organization.

One final note on the McDavid wingers. Even if both veterans bounce back in 2025-26, they will be a year older and closer to that cliff all players reach at some point during the latter stages of their careers. Oilers management and coaching will need to use young players like Howard and Savoie as replacements for the aging veterans.

The Draisaitl wingers

Draisaitl’s five-on-five points per 60 in 2024-25 (2.69) was just a shade more than McDavid’s, with Vasily Podkolzin (a lesser offensive player than Nugent-Hopkins) flourishing while with No. 29.

All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick

The Draisaitl five-on-five minutes were not as concerning as the McDavid minutes, and that may impact the coming season. It’s likely Kris Knoblauch will run an offensive upgrade on the No. 2 line next, but Podkolzin will remain a possible solution on left wing.

This is a spot Howard could audition for in training camp and early in the preseason. If he finds some chemistry with Draisaitl, who has mentored several young wingers in his time with the Oilers, Bowman’s newest acquisition could flourish.

When both men struggle

This is only the second season since 2015-16 (McDavid’s first season) that both players finished below three goals per 60 on a solo line. This may be a key reason for Bowman’s aggressive additions on both wings.

YearMcDavid soloDraisaitl solo

2015-16

3.41

2.64

2016-17

3.38

2.28

2017-18

3.55

2.67

2018-19

2.15

1.78

2019-20

3.34

3.44

2020-21

3.13

2.33

2021-22

3.25

3.02

2022-23

3.08

3.15

2023-24

4.07

2.89

2024-25

2.97

2.63

All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick

The 2018-19 Oilers and last year’s team are not similar. In 2018-19, the McDavid line’s five-on-five solo goal share (39 percent) and Draisaitl solo (36 percent) were very poor, owing to a ghastly collection of wingers. Milan Lucic was well past his prime, Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto weren’t ready, and Ty Rattie was unable to thrive in a feature role.

The team was bad, beyond a few brilliant youngsters like McDavid and Draisaitl.

These years later, Draisaitl is at 56 percent five-on-five goal share, as the good times roll. However, McDavid solo in 2024-25 (49 percent) suggests there is a need for more substantial offensive help on his line. A year ago, when Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman were pumping in goals at a rapid clip (34 goals in 467 minutes together, 4.37 goals per 60 five-on-five with a 63 percent goal share, via Natural Stat Trick), the top line was firing on all pistons. Last season, the same trio fell to just 2.83 goals per 60, but held a 56 percent goal share. Improved defence helped the goal percentage for the line, but there should be more offence (and a wider gap) for the unit.

Bowman’s bet

The Oilers added several famous wingers via trades and free agency between 2015 and 2020, Lucic, Patrick Maroon, Zack Kassian and James Neal among them.

In late July 2021, then-GM Ken Holland signed Zach Hyman to a deal that changed the No. 1 line immediately. The club finally had a winger not named Draisaitl who could score goals on demand. Coaches ran those two with Nugent-Hopkins, and the results were impressive.

After the 2024-25 season and the playoff run, the money for another Hyman-type signing was unavailable, and the team was well shy of the needed assets to trade for an established NHL scoring winger.

Bowman checked down to acquiring an unproven college winger (Howard) and rolling the dice with youth. Since the club badly needs an infusion in this area (and inexpensive contracts in feature roles), the way forward would have seemed obvious.

The team has Nugent-Hopkins, Hyman and Podkolzin from last year’s skill lines. Bowman added Andrew Mangiapane, Trent Frederic and European free-agent signing David Tomasek as options on each wing, with Savoie possibly up from the farm.

The trade for Howard has risk attached. He’s never played a pro game, and the leap from the Big Ten to the NHL is significant. There are no guarantees he will have chemistry with McDavid or Draisaitl, either.

On the other hand, Howard is a first-shot scorer, scored 26 goals in a very good college league one year ago, and will be in competition with older players who have their own questions to answer this fall at training camp.

Considering the circumstances, it was a reasonable bet. It may not be bold in the way signing Lucic was bold, but that isn’t a bad thing for an Oilers team rife with no-movement contracts and high salaries.

(Photo: Michael Miller / ISI Photos / Getty Images)