Callahan placed on LTIR after degenerative back disease diagnosis

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Callahan has been placed on long-term injured reserve after being diagnosed with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, general manager Julien BriseBois announced Thursday.

According to FOX Sports' Caley Chelios, it's been recommended Callahan no longer plays professional hockey.

Callahan has one year remaining on his contract at a cap hit of $5.8 million. With the veteran winger landing on LTIR, it allows the Lightning to exceed their upper salary cap limit to match Callahan's AAV.

Ryan Callahan has a $5.8M cap hit. If the Tampa Bay #Lightning place Callahan on LTIR, it will allow them to exceed the upper limit by up to a maximum $5.8Mhttps://t.co/PoBSXjdTILhttps://t.co/GK70hPLaHB https://t.co/nS7T5iJwC6

- CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) June 20, 2019

The 34-year-old was dealt to the Bolts in 2014 after serving as the captain of the New York Rangers. He's steadily dealt with injuries throughout his tenure in Tampa and racked up 17 points in 52 games last season.

Callahan has played in 13 NHL seasons, registering 286 points across 757 contests.

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