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The Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning connected on a trade involving former first-round pick Isaac Howard. The 2025 Hobey Baker winner could not agree on a contract with the Bolts. That sent him to Edmonton, where he is set to join the NHL team for his rookie season.
Howard spoke with Derek Van Diest of NHL.com about the opportunity to play with Oilers stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
“I think that's an unreal opportunity. I don't think you can get any better than that,” Howard said. “Those are two of the best players in the world; they could be the two best. It's pretty incredible.
“I can't wait to share the ice with those guys and pick their brain. They're different in their own way, and they're both so talented and so good and just hearing that [opportunity exists], it's pretty incredible.”
Howard scored 26 goals and 52 points in 37 games with the Spartans last season. He told the Lightning he was going back to East Lansing for his senior season. But after the trade, Howard is going to join the NHL and the Oilers as they look to finally win the Stanley Cup.
The Oilers traded 2024 first-round pick Sam O'Reilly to the Lightning to get Howard. While O'Reilly is seen as a solid NHL prospect, they wanted to speed up the development by getting someone three years older.
Tampa, meanwhile, salvaged a first-round talent for a player who was not going to play for their team. For an organization that has not had a first-round pick for a while and won't for a long time, they have a solid piece in their pipeline.
The Oilers also brought in Andrew Mangiapane to improve their forward depth, which is what cost them in the Stanley Cup Final this year. How will Howard's rookie season turn out?
