Lightning Send D Ryan McDonagh to Nashville Predators

Ryan McDonagh with the Rangers in 2018
Ryan McDonagh with the Rangers in 2018. Photo by Kostas Lymperopoulos/CSM/REX/Shutterstock

The Tampa Bay Lightning are parting ways with veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh. The team announced over the weekend that McDonagh was traded to the Nashville Predators in a deal that helps them get some badly-needed salary cap space.

In exchange for McDonagh, the Lightning received defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Grant Mismash.  

McDonagh has four years left on the seven-year, $47.25 million contract extension he inked with Tampa Bay in 2018. He also received a no-trade clause at the time but agreed to waive it in order to make the deal go through.

Speaking about the move, general manager Julien BriseBois said that trading McDonagh was tough but necessary to maintain the Lightning’s status as a championship contender.

“It gives us the flexibility to potentially re-sign [winger Ondrej] Palat or [defenseman Jan] Rutta or address holes that need to be filled on the free-agent market or the trade market,” BriseBois said

Ryan McDonagh, who has two All-Star appearances on his resume, joined the Lightning towards the end of the 2017–18 season. His experience and veteran leadership proved crucial in helping propel Tampa Bay to three Stanley Cup Finals trips and two Stanley Cup wins. 

“It’s been an incredible five years,” McDonagh said. “Looking forward to utilizing all the experience that I’ve had on the losing side and the winning side to hopefully do something special with the Nashville group.”

Gunner's favorite movies are Pulp Fiction, Iron Man (just the first one), and every James Bond film ever made. He's learning TV and cinema and hoping to always enjoy movies as he does now.