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Edmonton Oilers showing off newly formed 'kid line' at practice

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
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Jan 2 2026, 7:38 pm
Edmonton Oilers showing off newly formed 'kid line' at practice
Simon Fearn/Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers are trying out a new strategy to help spark some scoring down the lineup.

Things have been going a lot better for the Oilers of late. The team has found a way to rebound from another poor start and find themselves atop the Pacific Division at the start of the New Year. Consistency, however, remains a problem for Edmonton.

Through 41 games, the Oilers have yet to put together a winning streak of at least three games. That is despite both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl sitting near the top of the NHL scoring race.

The big issue of late has been depth scoring. When McDavid and Draisaitl aren’t on the ice, the Oilers aren’t scoring a lot of goals.

To help buck that trend, Edmonton called up two red-hot offensive players from the AHL in Ike Howard and Quinn Hutson on Friday morning. Head coach Kris Knoblauch then placed those two on a line with Matt Savoie, forming a new age ‘kid line’ for the Oilers.

OilersTV’s Tony Brar had the full lineup at Friday’s skate.

This would be the latest in a long line of Oilers kid lines over the past decade or so. Edmonton hockey fans of a certain age should remember the line of Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano, and Robert Nilsson in 2008 at the onset of the decade of darkness.

There was also the exciting line of Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jordan Eberle in the early 2010s.

Though this one might not be as exciting, both Howard and Hutson have absolutely earned another look in the NHL after absolutely tearing things up with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

Since being sent down in mid-November, the 21-year-old Howard has rediscovered his scoring touch, notching 10 goals and 23 points in just 16 games. Meanwhile, Hutson has put up 19 goals and 32 points in 26 games.

Hutson sits tied for fourth in AHL scoring (and leads all rookies).

Both players have had stints in the NHL this season, with Howard opening the season with the Oilers and struggling offensively with just two goals and three points through 17 games. Hutson recently had a three-game cup of coffee with Edmonton, where he notched his first NHL goal.

Meanwhile, Savoie has stuck around the Oilers all season, with seven goals and 13 points in 41 games.

It remains to be seen where exactly this line will play for the Oilers. Brar had them listed as the fourth line, but there is a possibility that it could be deployed as the third line. A veteran fourth line of Trent Frederic, Adam Henrique, and Mattias Janmark does make a bit more sense in this situation.

Knoblauch does have a history of limiting the ice time for younger players, so he will need to get a bit out of his comfort zone if this line makes it into game action. He’ll also need to give the trio some time to develop some chemistry, which means the line blender should be put on hold for a little while.

We will have to wait and see if the kid line remains intact for Saturday afternoon’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

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