Tampa Bay Lightning right winger Ryan Callahan has had nothing but bad luck when it comes to hip issues this year and that trend will continue as he will miss the next four weeks as the problems linger, the team announced (Twitter link). He has already missed the last three games because of the soreness.
This isn’t the first time this season that Callahan has missed time due to hip problems as he underwent surgery in the offseason which caused him to miss the first few weeks of the year. Callahan noted he played with hip pain during the second half of the 2015-16 season. He also missed 15 games this year while resting the hip from late November into early January.
Callahan has played in just 18 games for the Lightning this season, scoring twice while adding a pair of assists. He’s signed for three more seasons beyond this one with a cap hit of $5.75MM and while Tampa Bay will be looking to shed some salary this summer, Callahan’s contract and injury problems will make him extremely difficult to move.
The 31 year old is one of four Tampa forwards out of the lineup although Brayden Point is nearing a return to action from his upper body injury. Steven Stamkos remains out long-term as he recovers from knee surgery while J.T. Brown is hoping to return by the end of the month from an upper body issue.