This in from NHL hockey writer Frank Seravalli, news that the Edmonton Oilers were close to acquiring Tampa prospect Isaac Howard, voted the top hockey player in U.S. college hockey last season, only to see the deal fall through.
Speaking on the Kevin Karius Show on Edmonton Sports 1440 earlier this week, Seravalli spelled out the situation: “There’s many people around the league that thought that the Oilers were getting Isaac Howard. I think even people close to Isaac Howard thought that he was going to Edmonton. I don’t know exactly what the Tampa Bay Lightning are thinking. The Oilers, to my understanding, had told Tampa that they that they could and would do a late first round pick in exchange for Howard’s rights. And that apparently wasn’t good enough. Again, there’s a clock ticking to this. If they lose Howard’s rights, if he doesn’t sign next August, they’re going to get a late second round it’s the last pick of the second round compensatory pick. So you if you’re (Tampa GM) Julian BriseBois, while you want to do a lot better than that, right? And I don’t know why, a late first, because that’s what Howard was to begin with. Doesn’t just square you off and make you whole. But it seems like the arrogance of the Tampa Bay Lightning are what’s gotten in the way with this player.”
My take
1. Seravalli is one of the most credible sources in hockey and his comments here are awfully specific. TSN’s Bob McKenzie also mentioned that the Oilers were in on Howard, Tampa’s top pick, 31st overall, in the 2022 NHL draft.
It’s hard to know what went wrong here, but there’s no shame in Tampa playing hardball to get the highest return for this player, who is a good NHL prospect, about at the same level of top Edmonton prospect Sam O’Reilly. Howard is no sure thing to make or star in the NHL, but he’s got promise.
2. There was a report from the Athletic’s Scott Wheeler last spring that Howard was ready to sign with Tampa. The player reportedly hoped to play a few games with the Lightning and burn off a year from a newly-signed Entry Level Contract. That didn’t work out, however, with Tampa evidently lacking cap space and having other plans for the player, who won the Hobey Baker Award this year as the top player in U.S college hockey.
3. After things fell through this year with Tampa, Howard announced he was keen to go back and play one more year at Michigan State, which would put huge heat on Tampa.
If Tampa failed to sign him after the 2025-26 season, Howard could sign with any NHL team in mid-August 2026, with Tampa getting a compensatory late second round draft pick. BriseBois said in early May it was unlikely that Tampa would be able to sign the player.
Diandra Loux of the Hockey News reported BriseBois saying: “When I chatted with Isaac, he was pretty candid, and I appreciated his honesty and I thank him for his honesty. He values the opportunity to choose the club that he believes is the best fit for him. And I won’t speak for him, but he values that. Right now, I would say it’s unlikely that we will sign him.”
4. Howard’s ranking as a player has gone up and down. Heading into the 2022 draft, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler hand him ranked as high as 10th overall. Said Wheeler: “Though he’s ‘short,’ he’s a long way from small, with a muscular build that makes him sturdy on his feet. That stocky frame doesn’t slow him down either. He’s got some of the quicker crossover acceleration in the draft, with a hurried stride that cranks its way up ice to give him translatable speed. And after arriving at the program as an all-offence player, his effort level and tenaciousness really became hallmarks of his game, further muting any (misplaced) size concerns that might exist. He’s one of the more dangerous players in the draft with the puck and yet he’s even more dangerous off of it, with a scorer’s sixth sense for always arriving just on time in Grade-A locations (whether that’s hiding in coverage or just staying around the puck at the net).”
