Mike Babcock delivers bad news in latest Isaac Howard injury update

Michael Menzies reports that Mike Babcock says Oilers winger Isaac Howard will be out a couple weeks.

Worry about Isaac Howard's knee after the hyperextension has hovered over Edmonton since the weekend. Today the head coach finally put a number on it.

Menzies noted that Babcock played it down, calling it "nothing" and "not a big deal" before turning to a goalie sighting at practice.

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Howard has played 13 of Edmonton's 15 games this season. He has one goal and two assists, and the goal came on the power play.

He isn't listed on the injury report as of today, so expect that to change. A couple of weeks is a long stretch for a 22-year-old who is still fighting to hold a spot.

The 2022 first-rounder, taken 31st overall by Tampa Bay, has 8 points in 42 career games. Those numbers say depth winger, not core piece, so the Oilers can absorb the absence.

Devon Levi's return is the bigger story in Edmonton

Babcock said he saw Devon Levi "out there on the ice." Levi is on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, and the latest report has him out until at least November 9.

Babcock added that he doesn't know "when they're letting him off the shelf." Levi has appeared in 7 games this season, so he's no afterthought in the crease.

Edmonton sits 2nd in the NHL at 11-2-2, but it has allowed 44 goals. That's the number to watch. The Oilers are winning enough to be patient, and rushing a goalie back on the first possible date would be a mistake.

There's also the forward group. Babcock has pushed internally for a bigger, tougher Oilers forward group, and Howard is listed at 5'10 and 180 pounds. Now the roster has a hole to go with the request.

The Oilers play at New Jersey tonight, riding a three-game winning streak and a perfect 7-0-0 mark on the road. Levi's earliest possible return is still six days away.

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