In an instant, Ryan Callahan went from fan favorite to the player replacing a potential Hall of Famer.
After nearly seven seasons in New York, the respected Rangers captain was traded on Wednesday for Martin St. Louis and shipped to Tampa, where he made his first appearance with the Lightning at Thursday’s morning skate, prior to their game with the Sabres.
All of Callahan’s blocked shots and hard hits and big goals no longer mattered. Callahan was now the guy stepping in for a former MVP, two-time league-leader in scoring and Stanley Cup winner, who had spent the past 14 years with the Lightning.
Callahan cannot match those credentials. And he has no intention of trying.
“Marty’s play speaks for itself as one of the top players in the league,” Callahan said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. “By no means am I coming in and trying to replace what he did here. I’m coming in and trying to insert my energy, be hard on the forecheck, good penalty killer, score when I have the opportunity. I’m not trying to change what I am as a player or how I approach the game.”
Lightning coach Jon Cooper made it clear to Callahan in their first conversation he didn’t want him thinking about St. Louis, and how his future play would be compared with St. Louis’ past achievements. The coach wanted his newest wing to provide what he always did in New York — the hard-nosed hustle that defined the Rangers’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals two seasons ago.
“The kid plays hard. He’s what you’re looking for,” Cooper said, according to the paper. “We want him to go to the dirty areas. You can’t have enough of those guys. The fact he has a skill set to him, that’s what makes him so valuable.”
Cooper continued: “We feel we need that type of dynamic in our lineup, that dynamic that we expect [him] to be at the net, we expect [him] to be able to elevate our penalty kill, we expect [him] to play as hard as [he] did for the Rangers. If he gives us that type of effort, he’s a home run for us.”
New teammates such as Steven Stamkos are already glad they no longer have to see him on an opposing penalty kills anymore.
“On the power play, he slides face first to block shots,” Stamkos said. “He gets under your skin, for sure.”
Callahan, 28, has posted only 11 goals and 25 points this season — appearing in 45 games because of injuries — but the veteran forward believes his newest team will soon see why his old fans loved him so much.
“It was a tough start to the year for me,” Callahan said. “A couple of injuries, and in and out of the lineup, it was hard for me to get traction. But as of late my game has come back around. My numbers aren’t where they’ve been in previous years, but I’m excited for the fresh start.”