Well now. The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they have acquired defenseman Ryan McDonagh and a 2024 fourth-round pick from the Nashville Predators in exchange for their 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick. The fourth-round pick was originally property of the Edmonton Oilers.
This unexpected move reunites McDonagh with the team that he won two Stanley Cups with in 2020 and 2021 while solidifying the left-side of the defense.
Stay tuned for a deeper look at this move and the implications it will have for the team moving forward.
Official Press Release:
The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired defenseman Ryan McDonagh and the Edmonton Oilers’ fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Tampa Bay’s second-round selection in 2025 and its seventh-round pick in 2024, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.
McDonagh, 34, played in 74 games with the Predators last season, recording three goals and 32 points to rank second among Nashville defensemen. McDonagh led the Predators with a plus-19 rating and ranked second among all Nashville skaters in blocked shots (139) and average time on ice (21:47) in 2023-24. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound blueliner averaged over five blocked shots per 60 minutes (5.17) for the 12th time in his career.
A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, McDonagh has played 14 seasons in the NHL between the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay and Nashville. He has appeared in 928 NHL games, recording 76 goals and 389 points with a plus-246 rating. McDonagh was a Stanley Cup Champion with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021 and tallied one goal and 13 points during those playoff runs.
McDonagh is a former first-round draft pick (12th overall) of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2007 NHL Draft. He was twice selected as an NHL All-Star in 2016 and 2017.
