After this year's NHL Draft and subsequent summer free agency fest, most teams are now focusing on setting their rosters for the upcoming season in October. The New York Rangers had a solid draft class this year, even after missing out on a few notable players that might've put them over the competition just a little. One of those players was now former Tampa Bay prospect Isaac Howard.
Howard is a 21 year old winger, originally selected 31st in the 2022 draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, he'd never see the ice at the NHL level for the club that drafted him, as he instead returned to his alma mater of Michigan State for the next two seasons. And it's safe to say that Howard has had a stellar career as a Spartan, winning some of the most prestigious awards a young player can achieve.
A two time World Juniors medalist (silver in 2018, gold in 2020) and the scorer of the eventual game-winning goal at the 2024 WJC, Howard also picked up his 2nd Big 10 Conference title and won the Hobey Baker Award, the Heisman Trophy for college hockey players. His 2024-25 season with MSU saw him notch 26 goals and 26 assists for 52 points in 37 games, a drastic increase from his 2023-24 output of 8 goals an 28 assists for 36 points in that many games. It's worth mentioning that was also Howard's first season in East Lansing, as he'd played for another NCAA powerhouse in Minnesota-Duluth the prior season (6 goals, 11 assists for 17 points in 35 games)
Now, after a stellar collegiate and international career, Howard is ready to give it a go at the NHL level. But it won't be in New York, as some fans may have hoped. The Rangers could've used someone like Howard, with his offensive production on the wing providing some much needed help, depth, and some insurance for the future. You'd think the Rangers could've gone after him after surrendering their first round pick in this year's draft which prevented them from being in a position to select an impact forward like James Hagens who just so happened to go to an Eastern Conference rival in Boston. Outside of the New York Islanders, the team Hagens grew up watching, his eventual landing spot just so happened to be the perfect place for the Boston College star (and maybe the virtual personnel interview would've also been much less glitchy than it was) had he landed elsewhere.
The Rangers also could've added Howard to the fold over some of the forward options they targeted and landed in free agency such as Justin Dowling and Taylor Raddysh. That said, it is obvious a much bigger focus was placed on defense, as three of their current ones have contracts that are set to expire next summer (Braden Schneider, Carson Soucy, and Scott Morrow). The latter two were recent acquisitions from Vancouver and Carolina, respectively. And one more D in Urho Vaakahainen, who was acquired from Anaheim as part of the deal that sent Jacob Trouba to Disneyland, has his current contract expire in the summer of 2027, which if you think about it, isn't too far off.
We'll see how well the Rangers do, in their 100TH SEASON in the NHL, no less! The best one could hope for is a reputable playoff run, but with so little done in the draft and then summer free agency (although that itself was much quieter this year than last), things are being left just a little unpredictable.