Rangers trade Ryan Callahan to Lightning for Martin St. Louis: Report

The New York Rangers, unable to strike a deal on a contract extension with Ryan Callahan, have traded their captain, along with a first- and second-round pick, for Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis, reports The New York Post.

St. Louis —who had his own personal issues in Tampa —  had asked Lightning ownership to trade him to the Rangers — and Rangers only — after he was originally snubbed for the Canadian Olympic team by his own general manager, Steve Yzerman, who oversaw Team Canada.

St. Louis was named as an injury replacement for teammate Steven Stamkos, but he nevertheless pressured management to be dealt after returning home with the gold medal.

The reigning Art Ross Trophy winner has one year remaining on his contract at a cap hit of $5.625 million.

Callahan, a career Ranger who will turn 29 later this month, had been seeking a six-year, $39 million extension while the Rangers had increased their offer to six years at $36M. But after weeks of negotiations, neither side seemed prepared to budge, thus leading to general manager Glen Sather’s accelerated pursuit of the high-scoring St. Louis.