Tampa Bay Lightning F Ryan Callahan Could Start The Season On Injured Reserve
The Tampa Bay Lightning may have to face the fact that Lightning alternate captain Ryan Callahan may be forced to start the 2016-17 season on long-term injured reserve.
It’s almost sad to say this, but the Tampa Bay Lightning are absolutely no stranger to illness and injury. Last season, there was a point and time when there were no less than nine players on the injury list at one particular time. Nine players…do you know what that means for a team? Thankfully, the Lightning have tremendous depth in their organization and were able to come out on top.
No team in the National Hockey League ever wants to start out the season with someone on the injured list, but this is starting to become a season-by-season reality for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last season, Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was forced to miss the preseason and part of the regular season thanks to a blood clot found near his collarbone.
This season, the Tampa Bay Lightning may be faced with the very same situation this year, the only difference being a different player and a different ailment. While there has been nothing set in stone at this point, there is a chance the Tampa Bay Lightning may have to embark on the 2016-17 season without the assistance of alternate captain Ryan Callahan.
Tampa Bay Lightning
As most of you know, Callahan recently had to have hip surgery to repair a labral tear. It was originally projected Callahan would have to spend five months away from the ice in order for him to fully recover from his injuries. The surgery was completed on June 21st. This means the earliest he would be able to return to the ice would be November 21st.
At this point and time, Callahan has already been ruled out as far as taking his place with Team USA at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, which is set to kick off on September 17th in Toronto. It will also mean Callahan will miss the whole of the preseason and potentially the first two months of the season. This is definitely not good news for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Ryan Callahan has really emerged as a leader on the team. Of course, there was never any question of his leadership skills, having served as the captain of the New York Rangers before becoming a member of the Lightning lineup. This will definitely be disheartening to his teammates and fans alike.
Callahan had a fairly decent showing on the scoreboard last season. In the 73 games he played with the Bolts last season, Callahan brought home 10 goals and 18 assists for a total of 28 points. One of the things that sets Callahan apart from your average forward is his ability to use his body to throw some pretty big hits. Speaking of hits, Callahan has no issues in dropping the gloves to defend his teammates or maybe end an argument.
Just ask Scott Hartnell.
Needless to say, the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to miss Ryan Callahan when the season kicks off. While his absence may give the Lightning some temporary cap relief, as noted by Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, we are almost certain the team, coaches, and fans alike would much rather have Cally on the ice than off.
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Only time will tell when Callahan is ready to make his way back to the ice. In the meantime, the Lightning are once again going to have to depend on the depth in the organization, which means some assistance from our friends over at the Syracuse Crunch, to hold down to the fort until Callahan is ready to return. At least we know the fate of the team will be in good hands while Ryan Callahan recovers.