There is no questioning Vegas Golden Knights forward Brett Howden’s impact to the team on the ice. That impact now has a price point as the Golden Knights and Howden agreed to a five-year contract with an annual average value of $2.5 million per year.
Howden is on a career-high pace for goals and points this season. He has eight goals, tied for second on the team with Ivan Barbashev.
“Play slows down a little bit more over the years,” Howden said after the team’s 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. “Up and down our lineup, it’s easy to play with anyone on any given night. I was just trying to find myself getting to the net more and having a bit more of a shooting mentality. And I’ve been lucky enough that pucks have been kind of finding me at the start so far.”
Howden has played 193 games for the Golden Knights with 61 points (31 goals, 30 assists). He was a member of the Stanley Cup-winning team in 2023. Howden is considered one of the team’s better two-way players and can play anywhere in the lineup either at center or on the wing.
“‘Howie,’ we’ve always used some different roles,’ Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. ”He’s been up, played in the fourth line, played in the second line. But for him, he’s finding a lot of pucks. He’s getting into that dirty area, and they’re going in.”
Howden will be 32 when his new contract expires, so this could be one of the sneaky value deals that helps the Golden Knights in the long term.
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
