Howard is relaxing at home in Wagga this week free of the stress that consumed him over the past fortnight.

The 23-year-old became a St Kilda player on Tuesday after the Saints struck a deal with Port Adelaide to see him make the move to Melbourne.

Howard will make that move full of optimism after the Saints welcomed himself, Paddy Ryder, Bradley Hill, Zak Jones and Dan Butler to the club in a massive trade period.

"It's been a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions in the last week but now it's settled in, it's very exciting and I think what the club's done in the trade period has really got me excited for what the future could hold," Howard said.

"It's good to have it all done and the weight off the shoulders, I guess. It was a pretty stressful couple of weeks. It was a tough decision but glad it's all done and I'm looking forward to starting and meeting all the new teammates and what not."

It has been a whirlwind six-week period for Howard since Port Adelaide finished their season.

After signing a three-year contract extension last December, Howard was encouraged to explore his options by the club at his end-of-season exit meeting.

Although he endured a mixed year, it caught Howard by surprise.

"It did a bit. There was probably a little bit of miscommunication throughout the year," he said.

"In the end I knew where I sat with Port and I came away from that, and talks between the club and my manager had kind of said that if I needed to look elsewhere, go for it, so we did.

"Luckily, there was a couple of clubs that were very interested so that's always nice but there is definitely no hard feelings with Port. I knew where I sat with them and had to seek more opportunity."

Howard admitted it was hard to walk away from Port Adelaide after five seasons there.

"Yeah definitely. I had some pretty strong relationships over there with a few players so that was probably the hardest part," he said.

"It will be a big move but at the same time, I'm excited for a fresh start back closer to home and getting to Melbourne will be good fun."

After excelling in his one and only finals appearance at Port Adelaide, Howard hopes to see finals action next year at his new club.

"I want to just settle in there, put my best foot forward and play some really solid footy and consolidate my spot in the first 22 every week," he said.

"The bigger goal is to play finals next year."

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