Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Cally's Hip Change Stamkos Status In Tampa?

June 21, 2016, 12:13 PM ET [37 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Updated:





Terrible news for Tampa Bay Lightning glue guy Ryan Callahan who had successful hip surgery Tuesday in New York City at the Hospital for Special Surgery, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced.

The procedure to repair a labral tear in Callahan’s right hip was performed by Dr. Bryan Kelly. He is expected to return to the ice for the Lightning in approximately five months, meaning he will not be able to play for Team USA in the upcoming World Cup of Hockey.

One wonders is this Callahan development changes Yzerman's mind om re-signing his captain Steven Stamkos who will become UFA on July 1. Yzerman will be getting salary cap relief for Callahan's $5.8 million cap hit, especially if the Rochester, NY native suffers a setback in his recovery and he can't return to the ice until December or January. Callahan, 31, has four years remaining at $5.8M AAV.

Can Yzerman and Jon Cooper live without having Callahan and Stamkos in the starting lineup at the same time?

Wouldn't the loss of two top six forward veteran leaders hamper the Lightning's productivity?

Nobody said it was easy to be an NHL GM.

If Stamkos truly is gonzo, and he is at the point of no return in Tampa, perhaps Yzerman will ask Stamkos to waive his no move clause to facilitate a trade of his UFA right to Buffalo. If that scenario occurs, Yzerman could ask Tim Murray for a roster forward as trade compensation. That player could replace Callahan in the Tampa lineup while he rehabs his hip.

Yzerman could also take on last car k at resigning Stamkos before Friday's NHL Draft. Yzerman reportedly offered Stamkos an $8.5M AAV over 7 seasons earlier this season. That offer was believed to be too low an AAV for Stamkos' liking. Maybe Yzerman now cracks off a piece of Callahan's salary to make a fatter UFA contract offer to Stamkos. This scenario works short term but will hurt the Bolts when Victor Hedman's contract expires next July 1 and then he will be getting a new deal at 8 years and upwards of $10 million per season.

Or, can allow Stamkos to skate away, without compensation and wait it out until Callahan returns from hip surgery in December.

Yzerman has only $18 million in available salary cap space heading into July 1. He will have to re-up his RFAs to new contract extension. Nikita Kucherov is going to be commanding a pay raise that will see his entry level deal soar to $5.5 to $6 million per season. Yzerman also has to finalize new contracts for RFAs Alex Killorn, Cedric Paquette, JT Brown, and Vlad Namestikov. Jonathon Marchessault will be UFA and will be getting a new deal to stay in Tampa.


Callahan played 73 games for the Lightning in 2015-16, recording 10 goals and 28 points. He also skated in 16 Stanley Cup Playoff games, notching two goals and four points. Callahan has registered 172 career goals and 347 points in 620 career games with the Lightning and New York Rangers.





***



Jimmy Vesey has a shortlist. The Buffalo Sabres are on it.

John Wawrow of the Associated Press spokewith Vesey's agent, Peter Fish, who confirmed his client's interest in Buffalo.

Vesey is also interested in keeping his eyes open to free agency.

"No, I wouldn't rule anything out at this point, absolutely not," Fish told the AP on Tuesday afternoon. TI'm Murray acquired Vesey's UFA rights in a trade with Nashville on Monday.

."It's a great franchise and a great spot for players in my opinion and I'm sure the Sabres are on the shortlist of teams Jimmy Vesey is going to entertain at the right time."

Fish's client Jack Eichel knows a thing or 15 about playing I'm hockey mad Buffalo. Vesey, a Boston native like Eichel, is a close personal friend of the second overall pick from the 2015 NHL Draft. Eichel beat oUT Vesey for the 2015 Hobey Baker award. Vesey is the 2016 Hobey Baker recipient. Vesey and Eichel obviously talk away from the rink about hockey, life and the opportunity to play pro hockey together. Eichel told me as much in April.

Maybe Vesey signs with Buffalo on July 1. Maybe he waits until August 15.

"His plan all along was to see it through," Fish added. "And everything that's he's been through with the whole thing in Nashville would be kind of silly not to try to play it out as best as possible."

Vesey's agent will be in Buffalo for this weekend's NHL Draft.

I bet that he and Tim Murray will be having face to face discussions about an entry level deal for the 23 year old Harvard grad.

***

Watch Tim Murray's pre-draft presser here, courtesy Buffalo Sabres







**




I just attended Tim Murray's annual premium-NHL Draft presser in Buffalo.

Before Murray could address his 2016 NHL Draft agenda and process, he was asked to comment on a Darren Dreger brosdcast report that the Sabres are "all in on Stamkos" to the tune of $12 million per season over a long term deal.

Murray said that he and the Sabres have not had conversation about a Stamkos offer. Yet.

Murray's plate runneth over with his team hosting the NHL Draft this weekend. He will focus on the Stamkos offer and any trade opportunities on Thursday. Murray and his scouts will tweak their prospect list on Wednesday. Then, he will focus on UFA and trade discussions on Thursday and Friday. Murray followed a similar template last June when he consumated the Ryan O'Reilly trade moments before the opening faceoff at the NHL Draft in Sunrise, Florida.

"We haven't discussed a firm offer internally. I don't know where the number came from", Murray said.

After his presser had ended, Murray answered questions in the scrum. Trader Tim accentuated his position on adding quality players to his impressive young nucleus is already in place.

"If I can bring in a top-end guy we already have in a certain position, we'll have to move somebody else out."

Murray said that it's all about quality.

He said that if the number one center or the best defenseman in the NHL ask to play for the Buffalo Sabres that it's his job to "make it happen". If that means trading a player(s) from his roster, them so be it. Make. It. Happen.

Dreger on the Vesey trade and potential Stamkos UFA signing:

"There’s a lot of speculation that they’re going absolutely all-in on Steven Stamkos. I mean, some of the numbers being rumored – and I always hate throwing out or building off rumors, because as an Insider, our job is to separate fact from fiction. But Newport isn’t talking and neither is the Tampa Bay Lightning, so nothing has changed there. But some of the numbers being speculated on are upwards of $12 million per year coming out of Buffalo.

“I mean, if the Buffalo Sabres are going to spend that kind of dough in free agency on Steven Stamkos… if I’m Jimmy Vesey, and I’m looking at what we have in Jack Eichel, the aggressiveness if they’re able to land another piece like Stamkos, why wouldn’t I consider (Buffalo) as the real deal.”

Source: TSN 690/ Transcript: Nichols


Buckle your chin strap and fasten your seat belts, Sabres fans.

You are about to embark on a wild ride!



**

More Murray:

* On his RFAs: Had his second chat with Ristolainen's agent Monday. Talks progress. He's had multiple chats with reps for Zemgus Girgensons and Jake McCabe. He hasn't spoken with Marcus Foligno agent yet, however, he will be doing so shortly.

* On trading #8: If he can trade his 8th pick in the draft for a 25 year old left shot QB, so be it. He is prepared to do a deal for that player who may be Cam Fowler.


* Murray and his scouts have 3 unnamed players targeted at #8.

* Murray comfirmed my report that he called Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen to discuss a trade for the third overall pick. Murray said that he made the call, however, Jarmo said that he isn't trading #3.

* Murray curiously didn't mention Edmonton's 4th overall pick. I've heard that Murray and Chiarelli continue to talk about the pick.

* Murray said that he hasn't spoken with Sabres forward Tyler Ennis, however, he has heard that Enzo is in good health with no setbacks.

* When asked about the NHL being a copy cat league and how teams will try to emulate the successful strategies employed by the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Murray said that Dan Bylsma brought that same fast hockey/hard hockey blue print to Buffalo when he became head coach last season. Murray said that the Buffalo attack will be very similar to that of the Pens. Murray also noted that his team should not be considered a copy cat to the Pens because of Bylsma's teaching methods and philosophies.



* Murray said that Jimmy Vesey is "the exact player we are looking for". Big, strong, fast, smart.

* Murray has no beef with comments made by Vesey's agent regarding the Harvard kid going UFA.


*Murray on using Eichel as a recruiting tool to close Vesey on Buffalo: " Now that the trade is done and I can talk to him, yes, Jack will speak with Jimmy. I'd be a tool not to."

* Murray says he is okay with NHLers playing summer shinny with their bros as long as they don't play at 100%.

* Murray's line of the day came when asked if this off season is critical to Sabres future.

"Critical is a big word. It means if you don't get whatever is in your head done the arsehole is going to drop out of you".

*GMTM Drops Mic*


More to come....
Join the Discussion: » 37 Comments » Post New Comment
More from GARTH'S CORNER
» Hailing Taxis
» He With The Gold Makes The Rules
» Sedentary Seven
» The Sedentary Seven
» GadZuccs