Entering the 2025-26 National Hockey League season, the Edmonton Oilers had two top rookies on their roster.
Forwards Matt Savoie and Ike Howard were two players that generated plenty of excitement for the fans and plenty of intrigue from around the league. Here at Oil on Whyte, we ranked Savoie No. 1 amongst the Oilers top 10 prospects, with Howard trailing just behind at No. 2.
Howard himself was even ranked 19th on the NHL's top 25 prospects according to NHL Network, clearly showing his perception league-wide.
However, the Oilers are now six games into the season and both of these two rookies have yet to register a single point. To add insult to injury, the Oilers signed Jack Roslovic, further pushing the two players down the depth chart.
Why Savoie and Howard have been unable to score
There are many factors that go into a player's performance, especially their production. Many of these things are out of a player's control, namely their deployment and how their coach utilizes them.
Howard specifically has been playing the majority of the season on the fourth line and was even a healthy scratch for one game this year. So far, he has averaged 9:46 of time on ice this year, with less than two minutes on the man advantage.
Savoie, has played higher in the lineup, mainly on the second or third line wing, averaging 13:10 TOI this season. He has played slightly over five minutes on the man advantage but still sparingly.
Aside from their usage and deployment, looking into their numbers, it becomes a little more understandable why the two rookies have not produced. Howard has taken six shots on goal so far this season with Savoie registering eight. This means that both players are averaging only slightly over one shot on goal per game.
Of course, you do not need to shoot the puck but it helps when you do. You can either score a goal or cause chaos and rebounds for your teammates to score.
Digging further into their underlying numbers, the two rookies have seemingly struggled. According to naturalstattrick.com, Savoie is second on the Oilers in individual expected goals (ixG) at 5-on-5 while Howard is 14th. This shows that at least in Savoie's case, he is getting the chances but they are just not going in, something that is likely to correct itself.
Looking at their on-ice results, it paints a slightly different picture. Howard sits ninth amongst the Oilers in corsi for while Savoie ranks 20th. In expected goals for percentage, Savoie is 16th and Howard is 19th.
How can Howard and Savoie turn it around?
It is still early in the year and thus, the small sample sizes of their seasons do not paint a broad picture. All it takes is one game, or a good shift or two to turn their numbers around but it is evident that neither player is driving play in a positive direction.
This could be because of linemates but it could also be a knock on themselves as well. Howard is playing with fourth liners but he is also playing against fourth liners. Savoie in a similar boat is playing with and against middle-six lines.
Howard ranking high in corsi for percentage is a good sign and shows that his line is at least producing shot attempts. If those can translate into scoring chances, it will be a good step towards converting on those chances. Especially with a player of his skill level, he should be able to find a way to score with a little patience.
Savoie, although he ranks quite low in corsi and xG, his ixG is a positive sign that he is at least getting scoring chances himself. If he can convert on those, it could help to kickstart his offensive output for the season.
It is still early in the season and in their respective careers, there is no doubt that both players will turn it around but it is a sign of the struggling depth scoring currently plaguing the Oilers lineup thus far.