Mike Babcock didn't hold back on Isaac Howard after Saturday night's preseason opener, even in a 5-2 win for the Oilers.
Howard was held off the scoresheet, finishing scoreless with a minus-1 rating in 13:23 of ice time.
Babcock made clear after the game that he didn't like the way Howard played, despite the team picking up the win.
The coach stressed it was just one game. But that kind of pointed feedback after a preseason opener says plenty about the standard already being set in Edmonton's room.
It's the coaching equivalent of a report card sent home in the first week of school. Nobody fails camp over one outing, but the message lands fast.
Babcock only took over behind the Oilers bench this year, hired in June. General manager Stan Bowman brought him in to run this group his way.
Early accountability like this tends to define how a new staff wants its team to play, and rookies usually feel it first.
So does one shaky preseason night sink a training camp look this early? Not likely. But it puts Howard on notice as roster decisions start to take shape.
Babcock's early message sets the tone for Oilers camp
Edmonton get another shot at exactly this test Tuesday, a rematch against the same Winnipeg Jets club, this time on the road.
Howard's line from Saturday, one shot on goal, no points, a minus-1 mark, is exactly the kind of production Babcock will be watching to see corrected.
The Oilers head coach didn't sugarcoat it in front of cameras, and that says something about how this staff plans to operate all season.
Players who hear that kind of message tend to respond one of two ways. Either it sharpens them fast, or it starts to wear.
Whether Howard gets a bigger look next time out or fewer minutes is the kind of thing that tends to get sorted out quickly in an Edmonton camp.
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Babcock already made his standard plenty clear. Now it's on Howard to answer it.
Was Mike Babcock right to call out Isaac Howard after just one preseason game?
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