The Lightning will not be signing top prospect Isaac Howard now or this offseason. The 2022 first-round pick plans to return to Michigan State University for his senior season, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports, opening the door for his signing rights to expire in August 2026.
Howard, 21, is coming off an outright dominant junior showing with the Spartans. The 5’11”, 190-lb left winger erupted for 26-26–52 in 37 games, tied for third in the NCAA in goals and sitting alone in fifth place in overall scoring. Most expected him to sign with Tampa after Michigan State was bounced in the national tournament a couple of weeks ago as a result, but there wasn’t much progress. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic relayed that was related to Howard’s desire to join the team immediately and burn a year off his entry-level contract, something the Lightning didn’t and still don’t have the cap space to accommodate.
However those discussions transpired, it’s now clear Howard and the Lightning aren’t quite on the same page regarding his immediate future, Friedman wrote. That will lead to Michigan State unexpectedly keeping their top scorer in the fold next year while he decides whether he still wants to sign with the Bolts. While Tampa could technically lose his signing rights next August and receive a compensatory pick from the league, it’s likelier they’d trade his signing rights for a richer return before things get to that point if he informs the Lightning he won’t sign with them.
The Lightning can ill afford to lose Howard without acquiring a comparable young asset to replace him. He’s ranked as the No. 55 prospect in the league and No. 2 in Tampa’s pipeline behind center Conor Geekie, Wheeler wrote midseason. They’re the only two forwards in the Lightning’s system with legitimate top-six upside.
A top-three finalist for this year’s Hobey Baker Award, any Howard trade would follow a similar framework to last year’s swap of Rutger McGroarty and Brayden Yager between the Jets and Penguins. They’d be getting another team’s top or second-best wing prospect in return. While it’s certainly disappointing to see a divide pop up between Howard and the organization, there’s little reason to think Tampa couldn’t leverage him to acquire a similarly projectable talent.
Image courtesy of Nick King-Lansing State Journal.
Bolts might want to think about trading his rights soon.
You mean like mentioned for three paragraphs in the article? Wow thanks. Might want to read before commenting in the future to avoid looking foolish or illiterate.
Look, it’s Never Remember, who turns off his replies after another incoherant rant. You’re going into the mute box!
Timing is everything in cases like these. Now, granted, Isaac Howard going back to Michigan State next season doesn’t necessarily mean he still won’t sign with Tampa next summer in 2026 as they have until August of next year to get him signed. Howard also hasn’t given the Bolts any indication he won’t sign next summer. I think things stay status quo for the foreseeable future.
The issue right now is just cap limitations more than anything else overall but Tampa next summer will have much more cap flexibility than they do this summer. Unless things go completely astray between Howard and Tampa, I think Howard will be a Bolt in the future. If things don’t work for whatever reason between now & then, Tampa will be able to get a nice sizable haul in return for the Hobey Baker nominee.
The Flyers have 3 First Round Picks could Briere maybe use one of them to bring Howard in? He would definitely step into the Flyers lineup when his college career is over.
Tampa should own his rights for (at least) two years after his college career ends…as they do for players drafted out of every single other league in the world except college hockey.
Well, they don’t, but Howard will bide his time rather than bolt from the Bolts, or he might be traded to a bottom feeder rather than be on a perennial contender!
Same thing happened with Owen Power and the Sabres.