One In, One Out in Tampa

The Tampa Bay Lightning didn't waste much time after the NHL Awards to get the party started in this off-season, as they locked up forward Ryan Callahan to a new 6-year deal on Wednesday morning, reportedly worth $34.8 million over the term, which works out to be a $5.8 million cap hit per season.  A far cry from the $7 million deal that he was looking for out of the Rangers, which helped facilitate his move to Tampa.

Callahan's rise to the ranks of the $5+ million came with the Rangers, as his work ethic and leadership were undeniable and with the growing confidence came some reasonable scoring numbers.  Callahan's pool rankings topped out in 2012, when he finished 97th overall in scoring.

Since then, it was a little rocky between him and his home club and there was a slight drop in his numbers, dropping to 106th in the shortened season and then in 2014, he finished 223rd with 17 goals and 36 points in 65 games.  It was definitely a down year for Callahan, but now with a new contract in hand and a new team to help lead, it doesn't seem unreasonable to think that the 2015 season will be a bounce-back year for the American winger.

Also on Wednesday, the Lightning exercised their final compliance buyout on forward Ryan Malone, who wasn't likely to return to the club after some run-ins with the law, including drug possession.  Malone had one year left on his current deal, which carried a $4.5 million cap hit.

In the 2014 season, Malone was limited to 24 games, scored 6 goals and 8 points.

To be fair, I didn't expect to see Malone in the Lightning line-up this season, so he wasn't included in the Pool Outlook's cap numbers, which I had posted. His $4.5 million cap hit would likely have been buried, which would have affected the number in the end, but instead, a buyout removes him altogether and we can just add Callahan's numbers and be done with it.  With the new signing, I now have the Lightning up to $52.1 million for 14 players on their roster, leaving a projected $19 million remaining.

This cap number doesn't include Jonathan Drouin or a back-up goalie, but those numbers are not very far away from being added, one would think.