Breaking down key development factors for the Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers have hit a plateau in developing their youth. Oftentimes, the organization throws players into the metaphorical fire, which benefits no one. This is particularly noticeable with their top two prospects, Isaac Howard and Mathew Savoie.

Both made the Oilers out of training camp, but both have found little traction in Edmonton this season. There are a handful of things that Kris Knoblach and company can do.

1. Opportunity

Right now, Howard has the lowest time on ice for the entire Oilers roster with 9:55 per game. This grants the NCAA alumni little chance to show much of anything. Savoie has seen more opportunity, with 13:16 per game, but largely plays with the same players within the Oilers’ bottom-six.

Particularly, Howard has been expected to make something out of nothing. This is an unlikely path to success in the NHL.

With Howard not finding much opportunity or success, it could mean he gets a short stint with the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL.

2. Long-term planning

The Oilers have a long history of believing in short-term fixes for long-term problems. Their recent goaltending woes and lack of depth (until recently) are both a testament to their short-term planning. This tends to be the same mentality that management is applying to their top prospects.

Veteran players like David Tomasek, Kasperi Kapanen, and Adam Henrique have all been given longer leashes than the rookies. All of the previously mentioned players also have lower talent floors. They are in their early to mid-thirties, and largely will play less and less of a role in future campaigns.

The successful infusion of youth is what will keep competitive windows open longer. Especially more than any short-term fix that Stan Bowman and company can come up with.

In order to prioritize the longevity of their cup window, the Oilers should look at Howard, Savoie, and other players on that NHL cusp as central to their future internal roster-retooling.

Howard has even been scratched in favour of fringe NHLer Curtis Lazar. This goes to show the short-term thinking and is a sign that the runway for Howard is getting shorter. Howard and Savoie will likely be two of the possible candidates to be sent down when Zach Hyman returns to the lineup.

Yes, the Oilers have to play the best available options, but the experience of older veterans does not beat raw potential and higher skill of the younger players, even one season from now.

It’s hard for contenders to focus on the future. However, development should be a priority for teams to keep contender status in the near future.

3. Usage

We identified here at the Oil Rig before the season even began that for both Savoie and Howard to find success, they needed top-six usage. Both players have only seen a bottom-six role and linemates. The quality of line-mates drastically negatively influences Howard and Savoie’s on-ice performance.

The skill sets of both players show high-end soft skills and skating. Which are two elements that nicely complement Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Especially considering how much the Oilers media, fandom, and coaching staff have expressed their need for speed and youth, it’s surprising their two fastest and youngest players aren’t being given a chance to shine. One area where this soft skill and speed could be especially potent is on the power play.

With that being said, Howard only averages 14 seconds of power play time per game, while Savoie boasts 50 seconds. Their lack of power play time is another area where increased usage could allow them to excel at the NHL level.

4. Consistency/experience

There’s no doubt about it, every young player in the NHL has a learning curve. The Oilers’ rookies are no exceptions. However, they both should get the experience and high-frequency reps in a prominent role.

Games this early in the 2025–2026 season, while important, simply aren’t as make-or-break as playoff or games that the Oilers need to secure postseason home ice advantage.

With consistent roles on both the power play and or higher up in the lineup, both Savoie and Howard can prove they belong as emerging elite talents. Additionally, if they are given those opportunities and chances and then perform poorly, both players could justifiably be moved down to the bottom six.

As previously mentioned, right now, both rookies are expected to make something out of nothing, which is not entirely fair to their skill levels, development, or long-term projections.

What does this mean for the organization?

The 2000s/2010s Detroit Red Wings had the reputation for over-developing their prospects in the AHL before they’d ever get a chance at the NHL, and the Oilers might pick up that mantle for the 2020s.

Also, if the youth infusion goes poorly for the Oilers, expect them to lean more on experience than potential in the future.

This kind of decision-making could pay off in the immediate future, but also expedite a new roster cycle for the Oilers organization sooner than fans and management would have liked.