Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois confirmed Friday that former first-round pick Isaac Howard is unlikely to sign with the organization, potentially setting the stage for a trade or free agency departure in 2026.

“When I chatted with Isaac, he was pretty candid, and I appreciated his honesty, and I thank him for his honesty,” said BriseBois. “He values the opportunity to choose the club that he believes is the best fit for him. And I won’t speak for him, but he values that. Right now, I would say it’s unlikely that we will sign him.”

Under the NHL and NHLPA CBA, teams hold the rights to drafted NCAA prospects for four seasons. The Lightning drafted Howard in the first round, 31st overall of the 2022 NHL draft, meaning that after he plays his senior year, he will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 15, 2026.

“I just feel like with me and Tampa, I guess we didn’t see eye to eye the same way I thought we would,” Howard told the Spittin' Chiclets podcast on April 11. “It wasn’t a situation where I was demanding to step right into the NHL, it wasn’t anything like that... It just didn’t necessarily work out and coming back to Michigan State is unreal.”

BriseBois said it was a surprise to him that things went in the direction they did.

“I had regular communication with him and his agent throughout the years,” said BriseBois. “Our development staff, JP Cote in particular, spends a lot of time with all of our prospects, So it’s always a possibility, but yeah, it was a surprise.”

Talks reportedly broke down after Howard was hesitant to accept an AHL assignment to Syracuse, instead hoping to join the NHL roster immediately and burn the first year of his entry-level contract.

Historically, the Lightning organization has chosen a merit-based process when it comes to the Syracuse to Tampa development pipeline. Players such as Conor Geekie, Gage Goncalves, Mitchell Chaffee, Darren Raddysh, Emil Lilleberg, and Nick Perbix all worked their way up through the Crunch and logged playoff minutes this year.

“The scenarios are either he gets traded prior to August 15, 2026 or he goes to free agency on August 15, 2026, those are the two likely scenarios.”

This season Howard led the NCAA in points per game and won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey. He is heading to Europe to represent the United States at the World Championships.

Howard is the only first-round pick the Lightning have drafted in the past five years, although they have continued finding ways to bring in young talent.