The Tampa Bay Lightning let some coaches go today, and now have announced that they’ll likely be without Ryan Callahan for the beginning of the season as well. Callahan underwent surgery today on his shoulder, and will be out for approximately five months.
It’s been a rough few seasons for Callahan, who has fallen completely out of touch with the 20-goal, 40-point player of his youth. The former New York Rangers forward had just 18 points this season as he continued to battle injury and found himself on the fourth line. Still an effective energy player and penalty killer, he nevertheless is one of the most overpaid players in the league with a current cap hit of $5.8MM. The Lightning don’t seem to mind as Callahan is an effective part of their leadership group, but as they continue to navigate the salary cap it might become a problem.
This injury removes the possibility that Callahan could be bought out, and also likely keeps him out for at least the first month of the season. That makes the summer even tougher for GM Steve Yzerman, who will have to plan for his veteran forward’s eventual return and leave enough cap room to pay him once he comes off long-term injured reserve (if he ever receives that designation in the first place). The Lightning don’t have a ton of key free agents this summer other than J.T. Miller, but are looking at extensions to Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde, Ryan McDonagh, Anton Stralman and Jake Dotchin in the summer of 2019.
Still, the focus from today’s surgery will be on Callahan and the work he’ll have to put in to return to the Lightning in time to help their 2018-19 season. The team is expected to be a contender for the Stanley Cup once again, and need as many depth forwards as possible to get through what should be a very competitive Atlantic Division. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers should still be competitive, while the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens could take big steps forward. Even Detroit and Ottawa could bounce back if things go their way, meaning Tampa Bay can’t afford many more injuries like this, even to the players lower in their lineup.
Callahan’s absence does mean an opportunity for some other player, and the Lightning have several ready to make the leap. Anthony Cirelli likely secured a full-time position on the team with a good stretch run, and others like Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh and Mathieu Joseph could be close to NHL-ready. Even with the team’s recent trade to acquire McDonagh from the New York Rangers, they still have a boatload of prospects that could be impact players in the NHL. The question will be how does the team fit Callahan back in after he returns from injury, especially if a younger player has performed well in his absence.