Oilers Nearly Landed Lightning's Top Prospect and Hobey Baker Winner in Wild Draft-Day Deal

Despite that, says Seravalli, the Lightning said no and went as far as to describe their approach as 'arrogant,' as in they think they can do better somewhere else.

'I don't know exactly what the Tampa Bay Lightning are thinking. The Oilers, to my understanding, had told Tampa that they that they could and would do a late first round pick in exchange for Howard's rights. And that apparently wasn't good enough.'

- Frank Seravalli

Howard, the 31st pick overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, truly boosted his stock last season by winning the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top player.

Howard is projected to be a top-six winger in the NHL

He scored 26 goals and 26 assists for 52 points in just 37 games with Michigan State, finishing with a stellar +19 rating. Analytics guru Rono recently discussed Howard's elite upside, projecting that he has the potential to become a true top-six NHL winger.

Should the Oilers secure him, Rono contended, it would push Edmonton's Stanley Cup window of contention into the next decade.

While a late first-round pick seems like a reasonable price to pay for an elite prospect, Seravalli said Tampa Bay doesn't currently agree.

That being said, he also said that Howard's trade value will only go down as of August 2026, when he'll be able to become a free agent outright. As things stand, Howard remains one of the top trade candidates of the summer.