A familiar face will slot back in as the Lightning look to bolster up their blue line in the offseason.
On Tuesday afternoon the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that defenseman Ryan McDonagh was traded back to Tampa by the Nashville Predators for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. The Lightning also received the Edmonton Oilers' fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft.
Upgrading their top-four defensemen to help keep the puck out of their own net was a top offseason priority for Lightning GM Julien BriseBois.
About a week ago, BriseBois said he received a call from Nashville general manager Barry Trotz to inquire about the possibility of sending McDonagh back to Tampa. Trotz said the trade was more about “doing right by the player” than it was about clearing any cap space.
"It was a request from Ryan," Trotz told reporters on Tuesday. "We talked a little bit at the end of the year. He said if there's ever an opportunity to get back to Tampa, he asked if I would explore that a little bit. So, out of respect for the type of person that McDonagh is, I talked to Tampa and we made, I think a fair deal."
McDonagh will now slot back into a familiar spot on the blue line, reuniting with his old Stanley Cup teammates in Victor Hedman, Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak to complete the Lightning’s top-4 defensemen.
“I never thought there was a chance of this happening again, at least in the near term, but it’s happened now and it’s exciting again to feel that belief in the guys that we have and the excitement around it,” McDonagh said.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of work ahead to be done. But you’re willing to put in that work because you know the group has the right character behind it. I couldn’t be more excited to be joining Tampa again.”
BriseBois said the trade for McDonagh, who has two seasons remaining on a seven-year, $47.25 million contract will not prevent the Lightning from being able to re-sign captain Steven Stamkos, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent if he’s not signed by July 1.
"I just called Stammer today,” said McDonagh. “He’s just getting off the ice with Kuch. It’s like, what is it? It’s May 21st today. How can you not be excited to join a group of guys like that, that are working on their game here after just being bounced in the first round? That’s that standard that the coaching staff, management and obviously the players have built there. If you aren’t working all the time to improve and get better and be the best you can be, then they don’t want you to be a part of that room. It’s a great room to be a part of and I couldn’t be more excited."
McDonagh has always been a leader on and off the ice throughout the entirety of his career. He continues to be a fan favorite and was an essential piece to the leadership group when Tampa won back-to-back Stanley Cups. The Lightning struggled to fill McDonagh's place and were never able to win a playoff series since losing him.
McDonagh also hopes a deal gets finalized soon with Stamkos so that they get the opportunity to continue playing together in Tampa.
“He’s the definition of a Bolt. He’s done everything in his career to be as successful as he could and bring as much success to that organization,” said McDonagh. “He’s just such a competitor, such a gamer, a great motivator and a great leader by example and a vocal leader, too.”
“I can’t say enough great things about him and the importance of bringing him back and hopefully they can find a way to make that happen, and we can keep building special memories here in Tampa together.”