Tampa Bay forward Ryan Callahan, who’s only played 18 games this year while recovering from offseason hip surgery, has undergone a follow-up procedure and will be sidelined indefinitely.
The Bolts made the announcement on Wednesday, just hours after a big 4-1 win over Edmonton. Callahan wasn’t in the lineup to face the Oilers -- he hasn’t played since early January, when he skated just under 15 minutes in a loss to Philly.
The nature of this ailment has to be concerning.
Callahan, who turns 32 next month, is in the third of a six-year, $34.8 million deal with a $5.8M average annual cap hit. And this lingering hip problem comes on the heels of a disappointing ’15-16 campaign, in which Callahan scored just 10 goals and 28 points -- the lowest marks since his rookie campaign.
As such, Tampa Bay is now bracing for an immediate future without a huge part of its leadership group. Captain Steve Stamkos has resumed skating, but there’s no set date for his return from major knee surgery.
Callahan, who’s been an alternate captain in each of the last three seasons, won’t be playing anytime soon either.
#tblightning GM Steve Yzerman doesn't expect Callahan back during regular season. Good news is labrum is in tact, more of scar tissue issue
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) February 22, 2017