The Olympics are over and that means the trade deadline is coming and the rumor mill has a number of players that could be moving this season, as Ryan Callahan, Martin St. Louis, Marian Gaborik, Thomas Vanek, Paul Stastny and Dan Girardi all could be traded by the deadline after the Winter Games.
There was a freeze on transactions during the Olympics and now that the games are over, teams could start looking to make deals again and teams like the New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks could be getting in on the action. Callahan is a name to watch and this comes as the Rangers and their captain have been unable to come to a contract agreement. The 28 year old is one of the best players on the team and he is getting paid $4.275 million per year right now and it is likely that he wants at least $6 million going forward and that could lead to a split.
Callahan is not the highest scoring player, as he had nine goals in 37 games at one point this season, but he is the heart and soul for the team and with March 5 coming up quickly now, the Rangers have some decisions to make. The Olympics break may have helped things, but if Callahan wants a certain amount of money and the Rangers hold tight, a trade could be what ends up happening.
CBS Sports has reported that the Rangers and Lightning could make a deal with Callahan for Martin St. Louis and that would be interesting, as it would be two top name players getting traded for one another. The Rangers added Marian Gaborik for Rick Nash and that has worked out pretty well, but this time it could be a bit different if this deal goes down. The age difference is stark though, as the 38-year-old Lightning captain is on the back end of his career, although he has been very good with over 50 points and 25 goals this season and if Callahan sticks to his guns, Glen Sather could pull the trigger on a deal.
Callahan wants a seven-year deal worth $42 million deal and that could be too much for the Rangers while other players like Ryan Miller, Thomas Vanek, Paul Stastny and others are getting buzz heading into the deadline. Vanek and Stastny were in the Olympics and they could move and this comes after John Tavares was injured for the Islanders and lost for the season in Sochi. Another name to watch for is Chris Stewart from the Blues, as the Rangers are expected to be interested in him and that could be a target for Callahan.
