Was Unable to Reach Terms with Tampa
by Adam Wodon/Managing Editor (@chn-adam-wodon)
Isaac Howard, College Hockey News’ Player of the Year, is returning to Michigan State for his senior season.
Howard had 26 goals and 52 points this past season, winning Big Ten Player of the Year while leading the Spartans to a Big Ten regular-season and postseason championship.
Howard was drafted by Tampa in the first round (31st overall) in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He went to Minnesota Duluth for one season, before transferring to Michigan State.
Howard’s representatives and Tampa had discussions about a contract in recent days, but could not come to terms. According to a representative for Howard, he was looking to be part of the NHL team for its playoff run — not necessarily to play, but be available and with the team, similar to how most other high-end players of his ilk do it. Tampa, however, which is loaded with forwards under long-term deals, wasn’t willing to bring him in right away and told him he’d be in Syracuse with the AHL team. That would keep Howard on his entry-level deal for three more years, instead of burning a year, a situation that is more financially favorable to the team.
“That’s the cost of doing business these days,” a source told CHN about how teams typically bring in similar players when their college season ends and burn a year.
On the other end of the things, there is NIL money available nowadays to high-end players on Big Ten teams, which creates less of an incentive to sign a pro deal immediately. Though the amount of NIL money Howard can get at Michigan State is not disclosed, typical ranges these days for players in his category are between $10,000 and $50,000.
That, plus the desire to come back and win a national championship, swayed Howard to stay. NIL was not the main factor in Howard’s decision, but it does help lessen the impact of not signing a pro deal.
“Tampa is a great team, a great organization, he wasn’t disrespected,” the source said. “The terms just didn’t work out.”
Tampa retains Howard’s rights until Aug. 15 of 2026, at which point he’d become an NHL free agent.
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