Eklund is reporting that a deal between the Tampa Bay Lightning and forward Ryan Callahan is getting much closer. Things are seemingly falling into place.
Lightning and Ryan Callahan getting "much closer to a deal" tonight I am told.
— Hockey Buzz Eklund (@Eklund) June 23, 2014From the Times:
"We still have some time," Yzerman said. "We'd really like to keep Ryan in the organization, and we're going to continue to work. I'd like to get a deal done before he reaches free agency."
It doesn’t really come as a surprise that the Bolts are open to (read: very interested in) bringing Callahan back into the fold. After being acquired in the trade deadline blockbuster that saw former Lightning captain Marty St. Louis shipped to the New York Rangers, Callahan endeared himself to his teammates, his coach, and Bolts Nation.
For evidence of that last point, consider Jon Cooper’s comments following the team’s first round loss to the Montreal Canadiens:
“I really, really hope Ryan considers us as a place he wants to spend the rest of his career,… said Cooper, “because as long as I’m coaching this team, I want Ryan Callahan on the bench. I don’t know how much stronger I can be about that.…
Now, with all this in mind, it’s worth considering the following: What sort of deal will it take to keep Callahan in Tampa?
Does six years at $5.5MM per season get pen on paper? Would it take more years? More money? It’s nearly impossible to speculate.
What I do know is that the allure of free agency is strong – there’s no doubting that. The reality of this year’s market tells me that Callahan could easily make upwards of six million dollars per year on a long-term deal.
Maybe I'm wrong, but quite frankly I’m not sure that Yzerman is in a position make that kind of offer. Even if the cap continues to rise, as it is expected to, a big dollar/term deal for Callahan could have big implications for the Lightning when they attempt to re-sign Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, and a bevy of restricted free agents over the next few years.
Does it make sense to offer Callahan, a player who has never scored 30 goals in a single season, a long-term deal worth oodles of money? Again, I’m not so sure.
We all love the way Callahan plays – his willingness to battle in the corners, block shots, stick up for teammates, and drive the net is fantastic to watch – but it’s difficult to rationalize paying big money for intangibles. Huge dollars should be reserved for goals and assists.
Even so, I’m going to stray away from my objective reporting for a moment and qualify the rest of this blog by saying that I really, really like Ryan Callahan. The advanced stats tell me to be wary of signing him. The offensive numbers tell me to be wary of signing him. His age tells me to be wary of signing him. Still, I really, really like Ryan Callahan.
Regardless of what the stats, numbers, and his age say, I’m of the belief that Callahan can be an important contributor for the Bolts moving forward. Obviously Jon Cooper sees something in this player. Obviously Steve Yzerman sees something in this player. On a roster loaded with young, raw offensive talent, maybe it makes sense to set aside a small percentage of the salary cap for those aforementioned intangibles.
Let’s put it this way – there are far worse influences to have around young players than Ryan Callahan.
While the fancy stats (and eye test, for that matter) clearly show that Callahan was more of a complementary piece than a creator on his line with Valtteri Filppula and Ondrej Palat, he was also quite effective. As Coach Cooper noted when he was acquired, Callahan brought something to the Bolts roster that was missing before. We can debate whether his ‘effectiveness’ is worth six million or five million or four million, but the bottom line is that he’s a serviceable player who brings desirable qualities to a roster. That’s worth something.
I’ll close with this: If Eklund’s report is on the money, you won’t see this blogger complaining. Put me down as someone who would like to see #24 back in Lightning blue come October.
Now it’s your turn. Use the poll below to let me know whether or not you’d like the Lightning to re-sign Callahan.
Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter.