Ryan Callahan out 5 months after surgery; Kessel to World Cup?

Ryan Callahan of the Tampa Bay Lightning will be out of action for at least five months following surgery to repair a labral tear in his right hip.

Callahan dealt with a lower-body injury from the end of the regular season and throughout the playoffs as the Lightning advanced to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final before falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

This news means he’ll miss the World Cup of Hockey in September and opens the door for Phil Kessel to take his rightful place on the Team USA roster.

“Obviously you're a little disappointed, but it is what it is," Kessel said about the snub during Stanley Cup Media Day last month.

Certainly the USA Hockey brass watched Kessel’s Conn Smythe-worthy performance during the postseason and thought that his scoring abilities would probably be pretty helpful. Callahan is a John Tortorella guy, which is why he was one of the first 16 players named in March. But looking at the American roster compared to some of their competitors, they’re going to need goals. Bad.

Come on, Dean. Make it right.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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