Mike Babcock didn’t dodge it: Isaac Howard should have played more.
After the Oilers’ last game, Babcock said the young winger was shortchanged on ice time and that he addressed it directly with Howard. The message, according to Babcock, was simple and blunt: “you never let a coach be mentally tougher than you.” He also told Howard that “you decide where you’re going.”
Babcock made it clear he likes what he sees from the player, too. He called Howard a good player who’s “going to be a really good one,” and pointed to a shot off the bar plus a strong play in the slot as examples of what stood out.
The challenge for Howard only gets tougher from here. Edmonton is getting healthier, with Nugent-Hopkins set to return Thursday and Hyman already back in the mix.
Babcock’s stance is straightforward: “if they’re good enough, they’ll play.” Howard remains in the lineup on the fourth line with Dach and Frederic, but his trade value is real, which means his name will keep surfacing in upgrade talk if the role doesn’t grow.
On the trade front, Elliotte Friedman added another layer to the Hurricanes’ pursuit of Mikko Rantanen. The night Carolina landed Rantanen, Friedman said the Hurricanes were also deep in talks with Vancouver on Elias Pettersson - and he believed that one might get done first.
Instead, Carolina told both teams it was time and asked for the best offer. Colorado came through, Vancouver reportedly did not, and the Hurricanes moved ahead with Rantanen.
Friedman used that story to make a larger point about how Eric Tulsky operates. When Carolina says it’s time to make a deal, other teams need to be prepared. He brought it up while discussing the Hurricanes’ interest in Connor Hellebuyck, leaving the broader question hanging: have Winnipeg and the other suitors learned from Vancouver’s miss?
In Pittsburgh, the news was far less dramatic than it first looked. Ben Kindel’s collapse on the team plane turned out to be a vasovagal episode, a temporary loss of consciousness tied to a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure.
Kyle Dubas said Kindel regained consciousness after receiving oxygen, which is why the plane returned to Salt Lake City before he was cleared to continue on to Pittsburgh. He’s now back at the rink for treatment and more testing, and the Penguins are placing him on injured reserve.
Dubas also said the team will use “very strict guidelines” before Kindel returns to training or game action, because his health comes first. Kindel has two goals and two assists in nine games this season.
In Other News...
Jalen Chatfields Future Is Becoming A Real Hurricanes Concern
Jalen Chatfields contract situation is starting to look like one of the more pressing item on Carolinas to-do list. The Hurricanes and the defenseman were unable to strike an extension, and while Chatfield has been a steady part of the blue line, the sides have not found common ground on a new deal.
Since the last attempt to negotiate through Chatfields agent, there have been no further talks, which only adds to the sense that this could be heading toward an open-market decision. For a Hurricanes defense that has come to rely on his consistency, the concern is less about what he has done and more about whether Carolina can keep him from reaching free agency at all. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Let A Wild One Slip Away Against Edmonton
The Hurricanes were in the middle of a track meet in Edmonton, and for long stretches it looked like they had enough offense to turn it into a road win. Instead, Connor McDavid kept dragging the Oilers back into it, piling up five points and turning the game into a showcase for one of the leagues most dangerous players. Carolina had to live with a result that never really felt settled, even after both teams traded goals and the pace never let up.
Edmontons surge has now stretched to three straight wins and seven in its last eight, and the finishing touch came in a place Carolina could not match. The shootout tilted the Oilers way behind the return of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who was making his season debut after a lower-body injury. For the Hurricanes, it was the kind of loss that stings because it was there to be taken, then slipped just far enough out of reach. [Read more 🡒]
Zach Hyman's Viral Wink Sparked An Oilers Debate Fans Know Well
One of the more replayed moments from the Oilers-Hurricanes game came long after the whistle, when Zach Hyman drew a penalty and then flashed a wink that instantly split opinion online. The sequence started with Sean Walkers cross-check as Hyman was already going down, a call that put Edmonton on the power play and gave the clip the kind of fuel that social media debates thrive on.
For Hurricanes fans, it was the sort of sequence that can leave a bitter taste because the judgment call sat right at the center of it, and the reaction only added to the noise. Edmonton eventually had the last word anyway, finishing off a 6-5 shootout win to move to 8-1-1, but the wink was the kind of small, sticky detail that kept people talking after the result was settled. [Read more 🡒]