Isaac Howard won’t be joining the Tampa Bay Lightning anytime soon. The talented 21-year-old forward has decided to return to Michigan State for his senior year instead of turning pro.
It’s a surprising move that’s raised some eyebrows around the NHL.
Howard has been absolutely lighting it up in college. This season, he racked up an impressive 52 points in just 37 games, including 26 goals. That put him third in NCAA goal scoring and fifth in total points.
Most hockey insiders expected him to sign with Tampa after Michigan State’s run in the national tournament ended. But things got complicated.
The issue? Howard wanted to join the Lightning’s roster right away and start his NHL contract this season. Tampa just couldn’t make it work with their salary cap situation.
“There’s clearly a disconnect between Howard and the Lightning about his immediate future,” says Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
This means Michigan State gets to keep their star scorer for another year while Howard figures out his next move. His rights with Tampa will expire in August 2026 if he doesn’t sign before then.
But here’s the thing – the Lightning probably won’t let it get to that point. If Howard decides he doesn’t want to sign with Tampa, they’ll likely trade his rights to another team before losing him for nothing.
And Howard isn’t just any prospect. He’s ranked No. 55 among all NHL prospects and is Tampa’s second-best young talent behind Conor Geekie. The Lightning’s farm system isn’t exactly overflowing with top-end forwards – these two are their only prospects projected to be top-six NHL forwards.
Howard’s talent is undeniable. He was even a finalist for college hockey’s highest honor, the Hobey Baker Award.
If Tampa does end up trading him, they’ll be looking for similar value in return – probably another team’s top wing prospect, similar to last year’s McGroarty-Yager trade between Winnipeg and Pittsburgh.
While it’s not ideal for Tampa to have this situation with their 2022 first-round pick, they should be able to get a comparable young talent if things don’t work out.
