Abel to Yzerman

Abel to Yzerman

Is Ryan Callahan A Fit For The Detroit Red Wings?

05/20/2019 at 3:30pm EDT

from Joe Smith of The Athletic,

With the Lightning having $74 million of an expected $83 million salary cap committed to 17 players — and needing to give restricted free agent center Brayden Point a hefty raise — Callahan is expected to be moved this summer. Tampa Bay can try to deal Callahan by the June 21-22 NHL Draft in Vancouver, but they likely would need to sweeten the deal with a pick or prospect. They could also try to buy Callahan out this summer, which would require them to carry some of his $5.8 million cap hit....

With the help of my colleagues at The Athletic, here are five teams that could be potential trading partners with the Lightning in taking on Callahan....

Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings beat writer Max Bultman:
The Red Wings are a natural fit for Callahan for several reasons. First, they have the cap space to take on his deal with little to no trouble. Second, their forward situation is such that Callahan would be a legitimate upgrade on their third line and potentially even a natural fit to play opposite rookie Filip Zadina on a line. And, lastly, because they have Steve Yzerman, the GM who brought Callahan to Tampa in the first place and happens to have the most intimate possible knowledge of the Lightning farm system when it comes to picking out an asset as a sweetener.

A Julien BriseBois-Yzerman negotiation over prospects they once oversaw together would be a fascinating process and, considering the number of intriguing players at the AHL level for Tampa Bay, probably ultimately fruitful for both sides. You have to expect BriseBois to draw the line at the some of the top guns like Joseph, Cirelli or even Barre-Boulet, but because Callahan’s hit wouldn’t be a massive burden on Detroit, someone like Mitchell Stephens, Alexander Volkov, Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk, Carter Verhaeghe or Connor Ingram could still be worthwhile for the Red Wings. Detroit would have to live with clogging up a lineup spot with yet another veteran, but utilizing their available cap space on Callahan would allow them to add a prospect from a system that continues to turn out skilled players. If it ends up making them better next season, too, so much the better.

more ($$$) teams and more on Callahan who is 34 years old...

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