Howden became adored by his Vegas Golden Knights teammates because of the energy and work ethic he brought during their run to the Stanley Cup, which culminated with a five-game win against the Florida Panthers in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. Playing in a top-nine role with captain Mark Stone and NHL All-Star Chandler Stephenson, Howden had 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games after he had 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 54 regular-season games.

His energy and production earned him a five-year, $12.5 million contract he signed with the Golden Knights on Nov. 22, 2024. It had an average annual value of $2.5 million.

It was a struggle for Howden after the first-round pick (No. 27) in the 2016 NHL Draft was traded to the New York Rangers by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the deal that sent defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller to Tampa Bay on Feb. 26, 2018. He said he was a bit lost, his confidence shaken, until an uncomfortable conversation with Rangers coach David Quinn began a transformation for the better.

Howden became adored by his Vegas Golden Knights teammates because of the energy and work ethic he brought during their run to the Stanley Cup, which culminated with a five-game win against the Florida Panthers in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. Playing in a top-nine role with captain Mark Stone and NHL All-Star Chandler Stephenson, Howden had 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games after he had 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 54 regular-season games. The performance earned him a a two-year, $3.8 million contract he signed July 19.

It was a struggle for Howden after the first-round pick (No. 27) in the 2016 NHL Draft was traded to the New York Rangers by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the deal that sent defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller to Tampa Bay on Feb. 26, 2018. He said he was a bit lost, his confidence shaken, until an uncomfortable conversation with Rangers coach David Quinn began a transformation for the better.

"I asked him if he wanted to be like or respected," Quinn said. "I told him I don't want people tapping your shin pads. I want them in your face."

The Rangers traded Howden to the Golden Knights on July 17, 2021, for defenseman Nick DeSimone and a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Howden's Stanley Cup win is the biggest accolade in a hockey career that included him being captain of Moose Jaw in the Western Hockey League (2016-18) and for gold-medal winning Canada at the 2015 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He also helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship.