Isaac Howard is the one name keeping Edmonton's prospect pipeline from being a total void, according to a new ranking.
Daily Faceoff's Steven Ellis broke down all 32 prospect pools this offseason, and Edmonton's turn came this week with a rough verdict attached.
"The club is boasting one of the worst pipelines in the game today and unlikely to yield high-impact players from their current harvest," Ellis wrote.
That should not shock anyone who has watched Edmonton operate. The last first-round pick still on the roster is Evan Bouchard, drafted back in 2018.
Bouchard has developed into a legitimate star since, posting 21 goals and 74 assists for 95 points this past season.
Edmonton has used most of its recent first-round capital as trade currency instead, part of years spent chasing a championship rather than stockpiling futures.
Years of trading picks created this exact problem
General manager Stan Bowman has leaned on European and NCAA free agents since taking over, and the Oilers have had just one first-round pick in the last four seasons.
Ellis does credit goaltending and bottom-six centers as real strengths, pointing to names like Samuel Jonsson and Connor Ungar as legitimate long-term options.
Everything else runs through one player. Isaac Howard, a Hobey Baker winner and AHL All-Rookie honoree, is the clear top prospect in the system.
Howard's rookie NHL stint was modest, posting just 2 goals and 5 points over 29 games this past season.
"If Ike Howard doesn't pan out, the Oilers don't have another forward with top-six potential," Ellis wrote.
That leaves Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl carrying nearly the entire offensive burden, with little proven help behind them in the pipeline.
Ellis' full breakdown of Edmonton's system is worth reading in detail.
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Edmonton is built to win now with McDavid and Draisaitl, but a pipeline this thin leaves very little margin for what comes after them.
Should the Oilers actually be worried about their thin prospect pipeline?
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