This former Lightning defenseman is having a solid year in Nashville.
Because of cap space trouble, the Tampa Bay Lightning were forced to trade defenseman Ryan McDonagh to the Nashville Predators during the 2022 NHL Offseason. His incredibly reliable defensive play is something that the Bolts still miss today, and the Predators are benefitting from it.
McDonagh has been an integral part of the Predators' top four this season, and he's a notable reason why they are in a solid spot in the Western Conference. Yet, besides his excellent defensive play and penalty-killing, he has stepped up his offense a bit more this season.
After posting 20 points in 71 games last season with the Predators, he already has 22 points in 59 games during this season. That has been a nice bonus for the Predators with him.
At 34 years old, McDonagh has shown that he is still very much a dependable top-four defenseman, and he is not showing any signs of slowing down. It will be interesting to see how the rest of this campaign goes for him, but it is safe to say that it has already been a success.
In five seasons with the Bolts, McDonagh had 20 goals to go along with 99 points. He also, of course, won two Stanley Cups.