Oilers have a bold trade option involving Isaac Howard and a first-round pick
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Oilers need a top-six winger, and Isaac Howard plus a first-round pick is the trade package getting fans talking.
The Edmonton Oilers have a hole next to their stars, and the fix may cost them Isaac Howard.
New World Oilers asked fans on X who they would move to land a true top-six forward, and Howard plus a first-round pick is an easy answer to get behind.
The need is real. Vasily Podkolzin was projected to skate with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the latest lineup, with Zach Hyman, Kasperi Kapanen and Colton Dach rounding out the top six.
Everything below that is depth, and the team could use a scorer who changes the math.
Why Howard is the obvious piece
Howard came over from Tampa Bay for Sam O'Reilly in the summer of 2025, fresh off winning the Hobey Baker Award at Michigan State.
He's 22 and signed to an entry-level deal that carries a $965,000 cap hit through 2027-28, which is exactly the kind of cheap, young asset a contender can sell.
His spot is also shaky. Howard has no goals and two assists in seven games this season and has been stuck on the fourth line.
The Athletic named him the Oilers' likeliest under-the-radar trade candidate on October 17, so the idea is not coming out of nowhere.
Why the first-round pick matters
A prospect with a thin NHL résumé probably will not land a proven scorer on his own.
Adding a first-round pick makes the offer real for a team that wants to retool, and it lets Stan Bowman go after a legitimate top-six winger instead of a bargain option.
There is risk here. Howard has real upside.
But the Oilers are chasing a Stanley Cup now, and a top-six winger helps more than a prospect still finding his footing.
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