On Tuesday evening, the Edmonton Oilers completed a trade of prospects with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Winger Isaac Howard is headed to the province of Alberta, and centerman Sam O’Reilly is headed to the state of Florida. There was quite a bit of noise about the Oilers being interested in acquiring Howard and being close to a trade earlier, but now the deal is official.
The 21-year-old Howard, drafted 31st overall in 2022, played 73 games for Michigan State University the last two seasons, putting up 34 goals and 54 assists for 88 points. He was also this year’s recipient of the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top collegiate hockey player. Previous winners before him within the last decade include Johnny Gaudreau(R.I.P.), Jack Eichel, Cale Makar, Cole Caufield, Adam Fantilli, and Macklin Celebrini. He never signed an Entry Level Contract with Tampa Bay, the leading factor in him being traded. He would sign one for Edmonton shortly after the deal was completed.
The 19-year-old O’Reilly, drafted 32nd overall in 2024, has put up 48 goals and 79 assists for 127 points through 135 games for the OHL’s London Knights in a three-year span. He won the Memorial Cup with the Knights just this past season, registering seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points in 17 Playoff games.
It was initially rumored that Edmonton’s first round pick in 2027 would be the piece going the other way. Jeff Jackson made a last-minute trade on his Draft day to get the pick used to select O’Reilly at the very end of the first round. He’s a really good prospect who I thought fit the mold of what the Oilers are trying to build, having a two-way acumen to support his offense. So it’s a shame to see him go, but you have to give in order to get. Howard looks to be more NHL ready, and Stan Bowman can now still use the 2027 first round pick as a future trade piece if he wants to. With the abundance of centers in Edmonton, it would also be hard to see O’Reilly down the middle as an Oiler at some point.
After he was selected by the Lightning in his Draft year, Isaac Howard said to a reporter when asked about his outfit of choice, “I’m the best-looking guy here, and I dress the best just to impress”. He’s more on the extroverted side, which is what I remember hearing commentators allude to about his personality and how he’d learn to mature through a franchise like the Lightning with a Cup winning culture. Halfway through the 2021/2022 season, we were wondering the same when Evander Kane came to Edmonton. Though the age difference is worth taking into account, there were no bad terms with Kane.
The cockiness isn’t too big an issue for me, winning teams need at least one or two guys like that. It’s a strength of the team that’s broken our championship dreams two years in a row. Bowman, with these moves and his Free Agent Frenzy decisions, has kept his offseason promise of wanting to start the 2025/2026 season with a younger and faster roster. I watched a five-and-a-half-minute video of Isaac Howard’s highlights. There’s a lot to like. Here’s hoping Kris Knoblauch doesn’t treat him like Jeff Skinner.
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