Golden Knights bringing back under-performing center

Howden, 25, was a restricted free agent after the conclusion of the one year, $1.5 million contract that he signed last offseason. The two parties were scheduled for an arbitration hearing on July 24th and this signing prevents them from having to go down that avenue. Howden’s cap hit comparables for his new contract are Washington Capitals winger Sonny Milano and Vancouver Canucks winger (and former Golden Knight) Teddy Blueger.

Howden is coming off of one of his least-productive seasons in the NHL, posting just six goals, seven assists and 13 points in 54 regular-season games. He benefitted from an increased role in the playoffs alongside Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone, though, logging five goals, five assists and 10 points in 22 games as the Golden Knights won their first Stanley Cup.

Howden was the 27th overall pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2016 draft and despite not quite living up to expectations, he still ranks 23rd in scoring among players from that draft class. He never played a game for the Lightning, as he was dealt to the New York Rangers at the 2018 trade deadline as part of the return that sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to the Lightning. He spent three seasons with the Rangers before he was traded to the Golden Knights in the 2021 offseason.

The Golden Knights have had a quiet offseason, mostly just looking to keep as much of their Stanley Cup-winning team together as possible. They did have to move on from original Golden Knight Reilly Smith, sending him to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third-round pick, but that move also allowed them to re-sign Howden, Ivan Barbashev and Adin Hill. The franchise currently finds itself more than $3.3 million over the salary cap, but that tally also includes the contract of Robin Lehner, who seems a likely candidate to spend the season on long-term injured reserve.