We'll never know how seriously the New York Rangers were involved in the running to acquire Isaac Howard from the Tampa Bay Lightning . But we do know that the 2025 Hobey Baker Award winne r as the top men's player in NCAA hockey is not coming to New York except as a visitor to Madison Square Garden.
The Lightning traded Howard to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday for forward prospect Sam O'Reilly.
It became known in April that Howard desired a trade from the Lightning, who selected him in the first round (No. 31 overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft. In fact, the 21-year-old forward was willing to return to Michigan State for his senior year and then wait until next August to become a free agent if the Lightning didn't move him.
Instead, the Oilers won the sweepstakes to land the skilled wing and then signed him to a three-year entry-level contract. It's expected that he will play in Edmonton's top nine next season, likely with a chance to earn time on the power play.
The opportunity to one day — maybe sooner rather than later — play on a line with Connor McDavid and/or Leon Draisaitl must've been quite enticing for Howard. On the flip side, the Oilers landed a talented youngster on an affordable contract.
Howard had 52 points (26 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games as a junior at Michigan State last season, after he totaled 36 points (eight goals, 28 assists) in 36 games the year before. He also scored seven goals and finished with nine points in seven games to help the United States win the 2024 World Junior Championship, where he was teammates with top Rangers prospects Gabe Perreault and Drew Fortescue .
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It's a missed opportunity for the Rangers, though it's unclear how much they wanted Howard or what it would've cost to bring him to Broadway. Or for that matter, if Howard was interested in the Rangers.
Howard is a natural left wing, a position the Rangers are pretty loaded at. Their best player, Artemi Panarin , is a left wing, though he is in the final year of his contract and can become a unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. But there's a slew of talented younger forwards who are natural left wings on the Rangers already, including Alexis Lafreniere , Will Cuylle , Brennan Othmann and Perreault.
Still, the chance to add a talent like Howard must've intrigued the Rangers, regardless of position. As Lafreniere's already proven, switching to an off wing can still lead to success. And it's more important for the Rangers to stockpile young talent as they re-tool their core.
It's a moot point now that Howard is in Edmonton. And nothing's ever a guarantee with young players, specifically Hobey Baker Award winners. Remember, the Rangers thought they won the lottery when they signed Jimmy Vesey as a college free agent after he won the award in 2016. Vesey was a fine player, one who could fit in up and down the lineup. But he was never a star.
The flip side, of course, is that Macklin Celebrini , Adam Fantilli , Cole Caufield , Jack Eichel and Johnny Gaudreau are recent examples of Hobey Baker winners who turned into NHL stars — albeit breaking in with the teams that actually drafted them.
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