Boston Bruins To Trade For A Franchise Altering Prospect? A Major Development Has Surfaced

GM Julien Brisebois of the Tampa Bay Lightning appeared to have fumbled their 1st-round pick from the 2022 NHL Draft. The team and Michigan State Spartans forward Isaac Howard couldn't come to terms on a contract.

The 31st overall pick in 2024 will still have his rights owned by the Lightning, but it appears, for now, an ELC is out of the works.

But this is a perfect opening for Don Sweeney and the Bruins to begin discussions with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Howard about a trade.

Howard could be a franchise-altering player, but due to cap constraints, it looks like he could become a casualty of the Lightning's failure to manage money correctly.

At this moment, the Lightning only have $229K in cap space, which limits their ability to reward Howard as he should for being a top talent in the 2022 draft class.

Now, GM Don Sweeney should reach out to GM Julien Brisebois of the Lightning and see if he can't cut a deal and re-stock the Bruins pipeline in Providence.

In 37 games with the Spartans, Howard scored 52 points (26 goals, 26 assists), only a year after posting a career high of 36 in 2023-2024.

Howard's outlook in the NHL could be bright if he's given the right opportunity to flourish.

With $19 million in cap space, they could utilize their flexibility and make a deal work for both Howard and the Lightning in a trade for the 31st overall pick in 2022.