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Rangers Trade Ryan Callahan to Lightning for Martin St. Louis


Ryan Callahan was smiling during the Rangers' morning skate at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, but when he did not come to his dressing room stall to speak to reporters, something seemed to be up.


And it was: Callahan, the Rangers' captain, was traded to Tampa Bay for the Lightning's captain, Martin St. Louis. Tampa Bay also received a first-round pick in 2015 and a conditional second-round pick in 2014.


The trade took place just hours before the N.H.L.'s 3 p.m. trade deadline and marked the end of two drawn-out sagas.


Callahan, 28, was considered the heart and soul of the Rangers and the embodiment of their scrappy, hard-working ethos. A two-time United States Olympian from Rochester, he was the team's captain since the start of the 2011-12 season. But his agent, Steve Bartlett, and Rangers General Manager Glen Sather could not agree on an extension to his contract, which expires in July.


St. Louis, 38, a member of the Lightning since the 2000-1 season, had a falling-out with General Manager Steve Yzerman, after Yzerman did not choose him for the Canadian Olympic team. St. Louis was later added to the roster, but the damage was done.


St. Louis had specified the Rangers as the team for which he would waive his no-trade clause. He will now be close to his home in Greenwich, Conn., and reunited with his former Tampa Bay teammate Brad Richards, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2004. That same season St. Louis was voted the N.H.L.'s most valuable player. He has been voted the league's most gentlemanly player three times.


Still one of the top scorers in the N.H.L., St. Louis has one year left on his contract worth $5.625 million. Last season he became the oldest player to win the N.H.L. scoring title. He is currently tied for eighth in N.H.L. scoring, with 61 points, 17 more than the Rangers' top point scorer, Richards. In 1,041 regular-season games, St. Louis has 369 goals and 973 points, with four 90-point seasons.


In 45 games this season, Callahan scored 11 goals and 25 points, compiling a minus-3 rating. In 8 seasons and 450 games with the Rangers, he scored 132 goals and 254 points. He also added 14 goals and 24 points in 59 playoff games.


Callahan's expiring contract carried a hit of $4.275 million per year. He and the Rangers had recently inched closer in contract extension talks that stretched out for months. By Wednesday morning, Callahan was believed to be seeking $39 million for six years while Sather was offering $36 million for six years, a gap of $500,000 per season. But talks finally broke down later Wednesday morning, and Sather accepted the deal for St. Louis.


Callahan's all-out style caused him to be frequently injured, often from blocking shots, a concern for Sather. He has missed substantial time with a broken hand, a broken ankle, a dislocated shoulder, a sprained knee and other injuries.


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