The Tampa Bay Lightning have been playing great hockey, winning seven straight before falling to the New York Islanders 2-1 on Tuesday night. This has been amid a string of injuries for the Lightning. One of those injuries has been to defenseman Ryan McDonagh, but that did not stop the team from giving him a new contract extension.
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Lightning and McDonagh have agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $12.3 million. The blueliner is making $6.75 million this season in the last year of his contract, and was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
McDonagh has not played since November 8 against the Washington Capitals, when he left the game early. He was placed on IR later with an undisclosed injury. The defender had been playing well, finding the back of the net three times while adding three assists and averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game.
The American-born defenseman was the 12th overall selection of the 2007 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, but his rights were traded to the New York Rangers before he signed. After time at the University of Wisconsin, he would sign an entry-level deal with the Rangers and make his debut in the 2010-11 campaign. He was traded to the Lightning in February of 2018 and would play with the club until he was traded to the Nashville Predators in the summer of 2022.
After two seasons with the Preds, he was traded back to the Lightning in May 2024.
McDonagh has played 1,025 games in the NHL, scoring 83 times while dishing out 343 helpers. He helped the Lightning win two Stanley Cups and is second in franchise history in postseason plus/minus, blocked shots, and takeaways among defensemen.
The Lightning are now 16-8-2 this year, good for first in the Atlantic Division. They return to the ice on Thursday night, hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins.
