Oilers, Lightning Prospect Trade a Win-Win

The Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning should both benefit from their recent trade.

Michigan State's Isaac Howard takes a shot at the goal against Notre Dame during the second period in the Big Ten tournament on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at Muni Arena in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Prospect for prospect trades are rare enough in the NHL, but it's even rarer to see one that both teams involved benefit from.

On Tuesday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning traded forward Isaac Howard to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forward Sam O'Reilly. Edmonton also signed Howard to his entry-level contract immediately following the trade.

Both players were late first-round picks, Howard being the No. 31 pick in 2022 and O'Reilly being the No. 32 pick in 2024, and both have significant upside despite their different play styles.

It may not seem like it at first, but Tampa Bay and Edmonton both get what they wanted out of this trade. However, what they wanted was very different.

The Oilers are the immediate winners of this deal, as they add one of the league's best offensive prospects who's ready to contribute right away. Howard, 21, scored 26 goals and 52 points in 37 games with Michigan State last season, helping the Spartans win the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles and earning the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey. He should slot right into the middle six and give the Oilers' already dynamic offense another boost.

The Lightning, meanwhile, benefit in a more understated way. Howard made it very clear that he wasn't going to sign with Tampa Bay, which gave general manager Julien BriseBois little leverage in a deal.

Even though O'Reilly may not be as dynamic of a scorer as Howard, he is a very solid prospect in his own right. The 19-year-old scored 28 goals and 71 points in 62 games with the London Knights last season, as well as seven goals and 22 points in 17 playoff games to help his team win a second straight OHL championship. He's also a strong two-way player, able to play on both power play and the penalty kill.

O'Reilly is still a couple of years away from making the jump to the NHL, which does hurt for a team trying to squeeze everything it can out of its contention window. However, he should be a key piece of the future regardless.

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