Edmonton Oilers complete shocking trade with Tampa Bay for new top prospect
Photo credit: Tampa Bay Times
The Edmonton Oilers have reportedly traded prospect Sam O'Reilly in exchange for Tampa Bay Lightning top prospect Isaac Howard.
The Oilers had been heavily rumoured to be in pursuit of Howard in trade for a few weeks, but were only willing to pay a first round draft pick for him. Now, they've given up possibly their second ranked prospect in Sam O'Reilly.
Edmonton Oilers trade recent first round pick Sam O'Reilly for Isaac Howard from Tampa Bay Lightning
The Oilers traded into the first round last season to draft O'Reilly with the last pick, and their investment turned out to be a good one.
O'Reilly continued to show an elite two-way hame with the London Knights, and was even projected to make a push for the NHL roster next season.
It'll sting to lose Sam O'Reilly, but the Oilers bending to the Lightning's trade price shows just how much they believe in Isaac Howard - who is also expected to be in the NHL this season.
Howard wouldn't sign with the Lightning as he didn't see a path to NHL ice time - so the Oilers had to have presented him a plan with NHL minutes for next year.
The 21 year old forward won the Hobey Baker award last season for the top player in NCAA hockey, scoring 52 points in 37 games.
He's a high-end sniper and playmaker, and could be considered an even better prospect than Matthew Savoie.
The Oilers have added another high end young player to their roster, hopefully extending their contention window for years to come. Now with Savoie and Howard, the Oilers will have two exciting rookies next year.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 8 | 587 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers complete shocking trade with Tampa Bay for new top prospect Do you think Howard will score 20 goals next year? | ||
| Yes | 424 | 72.2 % |
| No | 163 | 27.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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