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Relationship Between Lightning and First Round Pick Over' Per Frank Seravalli: Trade Imminent

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 3:05 PM ET

Isaac Howard was meant to be the next big star in Tampa Bay, but now the Hobey Baker Award winner is likely to be traded as their relationship is over.

The Tampa Bay Lightning don't have many young names in their organization, with one of their only big time prospects being former first-round pick Isaac Howard, who they landed with the No. 31 overall pick back in 2022.

The expectation was that the now 21-year old would make the leap to the NHL this past season and be a key piece of their lineup moving forward, but there's been nothing but drama surrounding the two parties ever since.

After not bringing him up following the conclusion of his NCAA and Hobey Baker Award winning season, it was clear that something was wrong, and now Frank Seravalli has confirmed that the relationship is all but over.

With the 2025 NHL Draft just a matter of weeks away, this means that a trade of Howard is likely imminent, and after posting 26 goals and 52 points in 37 games for Michigan State, it's safe to say that there's likely going to be significant interest in Howard.

However, there have been questions over his attitude, and while this situation may have gone a long way to change that, there's no guarantees that this won't happen with his next team, so teams around the league will no doubt need to be cautious.

Given his talent though, there's teams out there that likely believe they can work with Howard to bring him to the NHL next season, and given his standing in Tampa Bay, it's simply a matter of when, not if he's moved by the team.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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