Edmonton Oilers
Babcock Says He Had “Good Talk” with Oilers Forward After Losing Ice Time
Mike Babcock said he had a good talk with Isaac Howard about his ice time. What does that mean for his future with the Oilers?
Edmonton Oilers head coach Mike Babcock admitted that young forward Isaac Howard got shafted in the team’s last game, but he’s not worried about the winger, whom Babcock says he talked to about his minutes, and believes he’s got a solid future ahead of him in the NHL.
“Howie is a kid. I had a good talk with him yesterday. How he deserved more minutes than he played last game, and just the way it worked out, he didn’t get them.”
Babcock added:
“I just said to him, I used to tell my kids this all the time. You never let any coach be mentally tougher than you are. You don’t let any coach decide where you’re going. You decide where you’re going. You don’t let people influence you. You decide what you want to do. He’s a good player. He’s going to be a real good player. It’s a hard leap, and but last game he wrung one off the bar and had another one where he got his hips around in the slot. Good for him.”
Howard is trying to find his place on an Oilers roster that is getting deeper every day. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will be coming back into the lineup Thursday as Edmonton takes on the Carolina Hurricanes. Zach Hyman just returned a couple of games ago. Every new face coming in means a guy like Howard moves down another notch. That is, unless he’s playing so well that he can’t be ignored, something Babcock acknowledged on Thursday.
“If they’re good enough, they’ll play,” said the coach. As such, it’s a positive that he’s noticing what Howard has brought to his game while the Oilers shuffle lines and figure out the best way to deploy a forward group that is healthier than it’s been all season.
Howard Still Working His Way To Being a Useful Piece in Edmonton
The Oilers believe in Howard. At the same time, his name comes up in trade speculation whenever Edmonton is loosely linked to an upgrade. Howard is one of the team’s few young prospects with real trade value. And if he struggles to find his role on a win-now Oilers team, his name will remain out there.
For now, he remains in the lineup. He was on a fourth line with Colton Dach and Trent Frederic. It was Max Jones, Jason Dickinson, and Filip Hallander who were the extras. That means Hallander comes out, giving Howard another opportunity to impress and possibly earn more minutes.
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