Bolts Deal St. Louis to Rangers for Callahan
Stamkos will miss his linemate when he returns
In what is just a really bizarre story at the NHL trade deadline, the New York Rangers have acquired veteran offensive machine Martin St. Louis from the Tampa Bay Lightning for Ryan Callahan and future draft picks. Why is this bizarre? For one thing it is the Lightning and not so much the Rangers who appeared to have the better shot at making a run at the Stanley Cup this season. Tampa Bay was 34-23-5 at the time of the trade. While that is not much better than the rangers 33-26-3 mark, the Bolts were set to get their other superstar players back in Steven Stamkos any day now. Stamkos has been out since November with a fractured tibia sustained in a game when he crashed into the goal posts.
Not only is he due back any time now, the Lightning is about to start a six game home stand with the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Phoenix Coyotes, Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks. With a healthy Stamkos and St. Louis, those looked like some games the Lightning should win.
The really weird part of this is the St. Louis reportedly asked to be traded because he was initially left off the Canadian Olympic team by Lightning and Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman. What does one have to do with the other? Good question. In what looks like the ultimate “I’m taking my ball and going home” move, St. Louis has apparently trashed a 13 year career as a fan favorite in Tampa Bay because he is upset that he didn’t get picked for a team he wounded up playing for, and winning a gold medal with, anyway. No, we cannot make this stuff up.
And to really get twisted, the player who got injured and could not make it back for the Olympics, opening a spot for St. Louis, was of course Stamkos.
Perhaps one day St. Louis will be put in charge of choosing the future Team Canada. He will be forced to make those tough decisions. Hopefully he will not pick the team based on who are his friends or who plays on his NHL team. Maybe we need to get Marty a copy of “Miracle” to watch. Coach Herb Brooks was questioned about his roster selection in the first part of the movie. His own assistant coach told him he was leaving off some of the best players. Brooks response was that he wasn’t looking for the vest players, he was looking for the right players. maybe then he will get it.
But even then if he does not, it is a shame he cares so little for the fans and the city that he has played in for so long, that he would sabotage a possible Stanley Cup run just because he got his feelings hurt.
