The Edmonton Oilers are clearly aiming to get younger for next season, and they seem to be actively pursuing that objective.
It was a quiet beginning to free agency for GM Stan Bowman, whose key move so far has been signing middle-six forward Andrew Mangiapane, alongside a few AHL-level additions. The biggest story in Edmonton, however, may be what didn’t happen.
The Oilers saw Corey Perry and Connor Brown depart to other teams, didn’t manage to upgrade their goaltending, and failed to land a high-impact winger to pair with Leon Draisaitl. For many fans—especially with Connor McDavid reportedly evaluating his future beyond next summer—it was a tough day to support the team.
Still, the offseason is far from over. While the losses of Perry and Brown hurt, both are aging veterans. The team is in need of youth and speed, and it looks like they’re aggressively targeting that.
According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the Oilers came close to acquiring 2025 Hobey Baker winner Isaac Howard this week. Howard is currently at a standstill with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“A lot of people around the league believed Edmonton was getting Isaac Howard,” Seravalli said on Sports 1440 Wednesday morning. “Even those close to Howard thought he was headed to the Oilers. Edmonton had apparently offered Tampa a late first-round pick for his rights, but that wasn’t enough.”
Howard, a 21-year-old left-winger drafted 31st overall in 2021 by Tampa, has only improved his stock since. He had a breakout season at Michigan State, scoring 26 goals and 56 points in 37 games—earning him the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top player. He beat out top NHL prospects like Ryan Leonard and Zeev Buium for the honor.
Although Tampa Bay wants to sign him, Howard has expressed no interest in remaining with the organization. That puts the Lightning in a tough position: trade him to a team he’s willing to sign with, or lose him next summer for minimal compensation—a late second-round pick.
Tampa would understandably prefer to recoup more value for such a high-caliber prospect. Seravalli also suggested that the Lightning may be letting pride get in the way, possibly frustrated that a top player is rejecting their system, which could be complicating talks with Edmonton.
The Oilers should keep pressing for Howard. He would immediately become their top prospect and might be NHL-ready this season.
Given their urgent need for affordable, impactful wingers, adding both Howard and Matthew Savoie to the lineup could be a big boost.
Now it’s up to Bowman to see if he can finalize a deal.
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