Edmonton Oilers recall Howard and Samanski after Mangiapane and Regula clear waivers

Mar 2, 2026 (11:30 PM)

Photo credit: Griffin Hooper-Imagn Images

Per an X report, the Edmonton Oilers recalled Josh Samanski and Isaac Howard, and the bottom-six stakes are real.

Monday made it official, Samanski and Howard are up from Bakersfield.

The squeeze came from the other moves, Andrew Mangiapane and Alec Regula cleared waivers and headed down.

Mattias Janmark also hit LTIR, which tells you this is a numbers game as much as a hockey one.

Samanski has pushed the door open in the AHL with 8-23-31 in 44 games, plus 0-2-2 in five NHL games.

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Howard's resume is louder, 14-18-32 in 30 AHL games and 2-3-5 in 28 with Edmonton this season.

He's 21, a 2022 first-round pick, 31st overall by Tampa Bay, and his pace says he belongs near skill.

Oilers fans are tired of "just survive the bottom six," and you can feel the hunger for a line that actually tilts the ice.

At Monday's practice, the public line info had Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Kapanen intact, so Howard may have to win his minutes the hard way.

That matters, because Howard's value is offense, and you do not want him living off chipped pucks and glass-outs.

Samanski fits a different need, he can play straight lines, defend, and keep shifts clean when the game gets messy.

If the tweet's "Howard between Podkolzin and Kapanen" idea shows up, that's a real audition for a sheltered scoring look.

If it doesn't, then this is about having two Condors who can jump into injuries, penalties, and late-game bench shortening.

Either way, the timing screams deadline prep, and the next game will tell you whose minutes are real and whose are temporary.

Previously on HockeyLatest

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MARS 2\|183 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers recall Howard and Samanski after Mangiapane and Regula clear waivers Should the Edmonton Oilers keep Isaac Howard in the NHL after this recall?
Yes	109	59.6 %
No	74	40.4 %
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