Two Oilers Who Could Surprise Everyone This Season

Every team needs a couple of players to surprise people if it is going to have a really good season. For the Edmonton Oilers, I think two names are particularly interesting: Isaac Howard and Devon Levi. They’re very different players. One is a young forward trying to establish himself in the NHL. The other is a young goalie trying to get another shot after things didn't quite work out in Buffalo.

But both have something in common. They have something to prove.

Isaac Howard could finally find his NHL game.

Howard's first NHL season was a bit of a mixed bag. He played 29 games for Edmonton and finished with just five points. That's not exactly the kind of start anybody was hoping for from a player the Oilers acquired because they believed he could become an important part of their future. But then something interesting happened.

Howard went to Bakersfield and started playing like the player Edmonton thought it had acquired. He finished his AHL season with 47 points in 45 games and was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team. That's a pretty good reminder that sometimes the NHL game comes at a young player a little too quickly.

Now Howard gets another chance. The Oilers need secondary scoring, and they need young players to start taking some of the offensive pressure off Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. If Howard can bring what he showed in Bakersfield to Edmonton, suddenly he becomes a very interesting player. And if he gets some time alongside one of the big guys, there could be a lot more offence coming.

Devon Levi gets a fresh start with the Oilers.

Then there's Levi. Buffalo gave him his first real NHL opportunity, but it never quite turned into the breakthrough many people expected. He played 39 games over three seasons with the Sabres and posted a .894 save percentage. Last season, he spent most of the year in Rochester. Now he's an Oiler. And maybe that's exactly what he needs.

Levi isn't being asked to come into Edmonton as the saviour. The Oilers acquired him for a 2028 third-round pick, and they can afford to give him some room to find his game. Sometimes a goalie needs a change of scenery as much as anybody. Levi showed plenty of promise before he got to Buffalo, and his AHL career has been much better than his NHL numbers suggest. Edmonton gives him another opportunity to put the pieces together.

What could go right for both Howard and Levi?

Maybe Howard becomes the secondary scorer the Oilers need. Maybe Levi becomes the goalie nobody saw coming. Neither one has to become a superstar for this to work. They just have to become better versions of the players Edmonton believes they can be.

And sometimes, that's where a breakout season starts.