Oilers urged to give Isaac Howard a chance higher in the lineup

In a letter to the editor, Kaden Boutin argues Edmonton should give Isaac Howard a bigger role after he scored twice in 29 games on the fourth line. The response says the Oilers want him to earn a better spot and suggests a healthier roster or a strong game against San Jose could help.

OilersNation has reported:

Kaden Boutin says the Edmonton Oilers should move Isaac Howard higher in the lineup, arguing the team needs to give the young forward a chance to thrive after he scored two goals in 29 games while playing on the fourth line. Boutin says Edmonton should consider placing Howard alongside Connor McDavid, even if that means breaking up the top line of McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin.

Boutin’s letter recalls that Oilers fans celebrated the trade involving Howard and Ryan O’Reilly. The deal sent a Hobey Baker winner to Edmonton in exchange for a prospect the team expected could become a third-line centre in a couple of years, Boutin writes. Fans also expected Howard to receive an opportunity, including a chance to play beside McDavid or Draisaitl and score 30 goals.

Boutin says they had expected Howard to be a Calder Trophy finalist. Instead, they say, he was sent to the fourth line with Rico and Tomasek, where he scored twice in 29 games. One of those goals came while he was on the ice with McDavid and Draisaitl, Boutin writes.

“We can’t expect this kid to blossom when he’s playing bottom-six minutes,” Boutin wrote. They argue that playing beside McDavid would give Howard more chances to shoot, and say the trade involving Howard and O’Reilly could still work out. “Why make the trade if you can’t help him thrive?”

The response accompanying the letter says the Oilers need to find Howard a better spot, while adding that the team clearly wants him to earn one. It suggests a healthier roster and a strong game against San Jose could change his situation.

The letter appeared in a weekly Letters to the Editor feature. Readers can send submissions of up to 200 words, with their name and place of residence, to Daily Faceoff Edmonton managing editor Zach Laing at zach.laing@bettercollective.com. Emails should be titled “Letters to the Editor” and must arrive by Sunday morning for consideration that week; letters may be edited for length or clarity.

Laing is also news director at The Nation Network and can be followed on X at @zjlaing.