Isaac Howard has a real chance to make the Edmonton Oilers out of camp, and one injury just helped his case.
Matt Savoie is currently day-to-day and expected out until at least October 20th, opening a door Howard needs to walk through.
Howard's NHL sample last season was rough. 29 games, 2 goals, 5 points, still adjusting to the pace at the top level.
Then he went to Bakersfield and turned into a completely different player, exploding for 50 points in 47 AHL games.
That gap between his NHL and AHL production is exactly why his next step matters so much more than his last one.
Daily Faceoff's Steven Ellis recently dropped Howard off his top-75 prospects list, though not because his value collapsed.
Ellis pointed to something more specific. Howard still doesn't have a reliable "B game" to fall back on when the scoring dries up.
Why Howard's ceiling and floor look so different
That's the real question hanging over training camp. Not whether Howard can score, but what he offers when he isn't.
Head coach Mike Babcock doesn't have the luxury of handing out top-six minutes based on potential alone.
If Howard slides to a third-line role, or hits a scoring drought, does he still give Edmonton something worth keeping in the lineup?
That question follows him everywhere, especially given who he was traded for.
Howard came to Edmonton in a one-for-one deal that sent Sam O'Reilly to the Nashville Predators.
O'Reilly's game leans two-way, giving him a path into an NHL lineup even during a cold stretch offensively.
Howard doesn't have that same safety net yet, which raises the stakes on every shift he gets this season.
With Savoie sidelined, Edmonton may not have much choice but to throw Howard into real minutes early and find out fast.
If he produces in a top-six role, the Oilers have another legitimate scoring option behind McDavid and Draisaitl.
If he doesn't, and the B-game concerns hold up, Babcock will have a harder decision than a simple lineup swap.
Is Isaac Howard ready for a real top-six role with the Oilers this season?
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