Lightning’s Ryan Callahan shouldn’t rush his recovery

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Ryan Callahan had surgery to repair his shoulder, and it would be wise not to rush himself back into action.

Not only did the Tampa Bay Lightning just miss the Stanley Cup Final by a game, but it appears that their problems will carry over into the 2018-19 season. Chances are that forward Ryan Callahan will miss a good chunk of action when next season rolls around.

Back in December when the Lightning were visiting the Coyotes, Callahan dislocated his shoulder, and he continued to play with the injury. But it was evident that his shoulder was hindering his game, as Callahan had just five goals and 13 assists in 67 games this season.

At last, Callahan had surgery on Thursday to finally repair his shoulder. The unfortunate part is that it is expected to keep him out of action for at least five months. He will miss training camp entirely, and it’s highly likely that he will miss at least a month of the regular season.

It’s nothing new for Callahan, who hasn’t exactly been lucky with injuries over the last few seasons. He’s undergone a handful of procedures in recent years.

“It’s tough,” Callahan recently told the Tampa Bay Times. “That’s my third [surgery] in four years or something like that. It’s never fun. It’s part of it. Everybody goes through injuries. Everybody deals with it, so rehab, get better and get ready for next year.”

Callahan should definitely be looking forward to getting back on the ice, but it would be in his and his team’s best interest to not rush back from his recovery. Before the 2016-17 season, he had a procedure done on his hip, made his return to action that November and only played in 18 games before missing more time due to his hip.

He had another operation done on his hip later during the regular season, and then didn’t return to the Tampa Bay lineup until this past October.

Next: Each NHL team's most famous superfan

Callahan certainly doesn’t want to repeat this cycle with his shoulder. He should be careful and take his time making his way back, and wait until he’s 100 percent before getting back on the ice.

The Lightning were the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference this season, so they’ll be able to hold things down just fine during his absence.