Howard Out, O’Reilly In: Lightning Play the Long Game with Prospect Swap

Tampa Bay Lightning veteran forward Zemgus Girgensons has played in nearly 800 NHL games, yet come October, he very well may find himself watching games from the press box as a healthy scratch, or possibly even from 1,300 miles away as he suits up for the Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate, Syracuse Crunch.

If taking the ice at Amalie Arena in 2025-26 isn’t a guarantee for a player with 11 seasons at the NHL level on his resume, it certainly would not have been so for a player such as Michigan State star Isaac Howard, who doesn’t have 11 seconds of experience at ANY professional level.

That is the situation that Tampa Bay found itself in with its 2022 first-round draft selection, who let it be known to the franchise this spring that he had little interest in signing with the team.

“The reality is that we haven’t been able to come to an agreement that is mutually acceptable,” Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois said this spring when asked about signing Howard. “When I chatted with Isaac, he was really, really candid, and I appreciated his honesty. I thanked him for his honesty.

“He values the opportunity to choose the club that he believes is the best fit for him.”

BriseBois resolved that dilemma for both the Lightning and Howard on Tuesday when he traded Howard to Edmonton for Oilers 2024 first-round pick Sam O’Reilly.

“It’s tricky,” BriseBois said last month of dealing Howard. “The teams who are able to offer me something that I think would be worthwhile for our organization, and actually make us better, and kind of fits with the plan that we have for our organization, they haven’t been able to agree to a contract with Isaac.”

Reports surfaced over the past few months that the 2025 Hobey Baker Award winner wanted a definitive role with the team with which he was going to start his NHL career. The uber-deep Lightning are not in a position to guarantee some veterans playing time, let alone a 5-foot-10 kid fresh out of college.

“The teams that (Howard) feels he can get a deal done with,” BriseBois continued, “they haven’t been able to get a deal done with me.”

That changed Tuesday, when Edmonton offered O’Reily, who was selected with the 32nd pick, in a swap that many believe is a mutually beneficial deal, perhaps just with different timelines.

Howard immediately signed a three-year deal with the Oilers, who are reportedly penciling him in a top-nine role this coming season.

For the Lightning, they may also get a top-nine forward out of the deal, but it will be down the road.

O’Reilly is only 19 years old, but he has loads of potential for a possible NHL career, just not in 2025-26 or even 2026-27, for that matter.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound athlete helped the London Knights play for consecutive Memorial Cups over the past two seasons in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, winning the 2025 title.

O’Reilly is a two-way player who totaled 71 points this past season in 62 games and was an astounding plus-56 in plus/minus for the Knights, which was second on the team.

In the postseason, he was dominant, as he registered 22 points in 17 games and was a plus-24.

“I give credit to my coaches,” O’Reilly told the media following the championship game last month. “I wouldn’t be here without them.”

O’Reilly is expected to play an even larger role with the Knights this coming season.

“Worst case,” BriseBois said prior to making this deal, “we would get a second-round pick (as compensation for not signing Howard). If we can do better, that would be optimal for me.”

The deal got consummated, which is expected to be “optimal” for the Lightning – eventually.