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Ryan Callahan injury update: Lightning forward out indefinitely

By Dave Stevenson

Nov 23, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Ryan Callahan (24) against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Ryan Callahan (24) against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Callahan is out indefinitely after his second hip procedure in under a year. 

The Tampa Bay Lightning are trying to fight their way back into playoff contention. They’ve overcome quite a bit, including an injury to their captain Steven Stamkos. He has missed a majority of the season. They were hoping to get forward Ryan Callahan back at some point this season, but now he’s out indefinitely. He was trying to fight back from a hip injury, but had some complications.

“We tried a lot of different approaches to quieting it down and nothing seemed to work,” Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said, via NHL.com. “The doctors thought having the second surgical procedure done was a reasonable step to recovery.”

The good thing is it appears Callahan’s injury won’t be a career threatening one. This means the Lightning have to protect him during the expansion draft. Also, it’s worth noting teams can’t buy out an injured player, so this likely keeps Callahan from being bought out.

He has been put in the long-term injured reserve list, freeing up a little bit of cap space for the Lightning. It remains to be seen if they’ll use the blue print of the 2014-15 Chicago Blackhawks, using cap space from injured players to upgrade at the trade deadline.

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Callahan has 351 points in 638 career games. The former New York Rangers captain got traded to the Lightning with two first round picks back in 2014 in exchange for Martin St. Louis and a second round pick.

Since joining Tampa Bay, Callahan has 97 points in 188 regular season games. In the postseason, he has 12 points in 45 games with the Lightning. Callahan serves as one of Tampa Bay’s alternate captains and has three years remaining remaining on his deal with a $5.8 million annual cap hit.

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