But will it be for the Penguins?
There was already smoke brewing around the status of 2025 Hobey Baker winner (and 2022 first round pick of Tampa) Isaac Howard when he didn’t turn pro this spring. Howard has completed three years of NCAA hockey and is at the prime time to turn pro.
It didn’t happen, and as most in this situation do, it was about the player and team disagreeing or being unable to get on the same page as far as immediate assignment to the NHL and burning a year of the entry level contract. The player usually wants it, the team might have different priorities in mind, including that pesky salary cap.
The unusual step is a team coming out and admitting the player isn’t going to be coming their way, as Tampa GM Julien BriseBois did yesterday.
BREAKING NEWS #TBLightning GM Julien BriseBois says that is is “unlikely” that Isaac Howard signs with the Bolts
I asked him if that was a bit of surprise because he seemed optimistic in the middle of the season and he said he was
Wow. #GoBolts #NHL pic.twitter.com/PHHAZ70jSa
— Jay Recher (@jayRecher) May 2, 2025
This is essentially the Rutger McGroarty situation. (Or Cutter Gauthier or Adam Fox or Brock Faber…or, well you get the picture – American kids becoming choosy about their organization dates back a while now).
Can the Pens step in?
As usual, it depends. If Tampa does nothing, Howard will become a free agent in the summer of 2026 after he completes college and can pick his own team. The Lightning will be awarded a compensatory 2027 second round pick as a result of not signing a former first round pick.
Therein sets a floor value, it stands to reason that Tampa would need to be fairly decently incentivized with value in order to part with Howard. Last summer, the Penguins didn’t nickel and dime Winnipeg with some of their lower-end prospects, they had to send former first round pick Brayden Yager to get McGroarty.
That likely is what it would take to pry Howard, given that his value has peaked recently after an amazing 2024-25 season.
The Penguins have draft picks, but their 2025 spot is likely to be ninth or 10th, too valuable to part with. There’s also the matter that the Lightning don’t seem to like draft picks (they’ve traded their first round pick away over the next three drafts). Then again, maybe acquiring a future pick works for them since the value is to flip it again for more NHL help.
The possibilities are endless but in terms of pure value Tampa could be in position to ask for a player like McGroarty or Ville Koivunen in return from Pittsburgh, or just wait until one of the 30 other teams in the league comes to the table with something comparable. One good thing for TB is BriseBois’s words yesterday make it clear that they have something good to sell, it won’t go unnoticed.
It won’t hurt the Penguins to sniff around and at least see what Tampa might want, and of course make sure that Howard would be willing to sign with Pittsburgh. All in all, the stars probably aren’t going to align to find a deal that makes sense for everyone. Something to look into and consider? Sure. But likely a longshot to actually happen.