Lightning Prospect Isaac Howard Comments On Potential Split From Tampa Bay

A few weeks ago, it was expected that the Tampa Bay Lightning would get a major boost in the form of former first-round pick Isaac Howard, who is finishing up a Hobey Baker Finalist season at Michigan State.

However, the 21-year old recently rocked the hockey world with the announcement that he's headed back to school, and with free agency a possibility after next season, it appears to be just a matter of time until the two parties split.

This has led to increased speculation that the team could look to trade the talented forward in the off-season, and now, the former top pick has opened up on the situation and revealed why this split is on the way.

It's unclear exactly what happened between the two parties to make Howard react like this, but given what a boost he could have been to their Stanley Cup Playoffs hopes, it's shocking that the two sides couldn't come together to find a way to get a deal done.

Ultimately, Howard's future, despite this happening with Tampa Bay is still incredibly bright, so whether he gets traded in the coming months or plays out the 2025/26 season and heads to free agency, he's still expected to make an impact at the next level, and now the only question is which team will he be playing for when that eventually happens.