The Tampa Bay Lightning made a trade for Ryan McDonagh this offseason. The deal with the Nashville Predators brought the veteran defenseman back to Central Florida after two seasons away. Nashville received a second-round pick and a seventh-round pick in return.
McDonagh played a major role on the Predators' blueline in 2023-24. In Tampa, the 35-year-old is likely to play a similarly large role in his second stint with the team. The veteran rearguard opened up about his feelings about the trade on Wednesday while attending Da Beauty League games in Minnesota.
“When an organization puts their faith back in you, that speaks a lot to me,” McDonagh said Wednesday, via NHL.com. “So, you try to do what you can to be as prepared as you can and focus really hard on skating a lot, getting to the gym and just getting mentally prepared for a big role.”
Ryan McDonagh could play vital Lightning role
Ryan McDonagh first joined the Lightning in 2018 at the NHL Trade Deadline. McDonagh and J.T. Miller went to Tampa as the Lightning sent Vladislav Namestinkov, Brett Howden, Libor Hajek, and a 2018 first-round pick to the New York Rangers. His first stint in Central Florida proved to be a major success.
McDonagh won two Stanley Cups during his time with the Lightning. He was part of the second team since the turn of the century to win back-to-back Stanley Cups. McDonagh and Tampa won it all in 2020 and 2021 before falling in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.
After the 2022 Final, the Lightning traded McDonagh to the Predators. His time in Nashville didn't result in a Stanley Cup. However, the 35-year-old played a pivotal role in their success. In fact, he played the second most minutes of any Predators defenseman in 2023-24, according to Evolving Hockey.
In Tampa, McDonagh could very well see a ton of ice time. The veteran rearguard is likely to slot in as the second-pairing defender on the left side. Last year, Erik Cernak saw a ton of time on the left side of the defense. He wound up playing 1300+ total minutes, not too far off the total McDonagh saw this past season.
Overall, McDonagh is happy to be back in Tampa. He found a lot of success during his first tenure with the Lightning. And the city of Tampa means a lot to him, as he expressed on Wednesday.
“It’s a very special place for me and my family,” McDonagh said, via NHL.com. “Two of my kids were born there. Between that and winning, those were some big moments I had there. And it’s a great community. A great place to raise your kids and a great market to play hockey, with an organization that’s behind you. They’re always going to go for the Cup, so it’s fun to be a part of that again.”
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