During the 2017-18 season, the New York Rangers traded their captain Ryan McDonagh to the Tampa Bay Lightning along with center J.T. Miller in exchange for Vladislav Namestnikov, Brett Howden, Libor Hajek, and a first-round pick which they used to draft Nils Lundkvist. Many seasons later, McDonagh is still a great defensive defenseman and New York is still searching for a top left-hander to play alongside Adam Fox.
McDonagh’s Continued Success After the Trade
At the time of the trade, McDonagh was one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL. He was a great skater, and he also steadily contributed offensively. His best season offensively with the Rangers came in 2013-14 when he finished with 14 goals and 29 assists in 77 games. He also had four goals and 13 assists in 25 playoff games and helped them go on a run to the Stanley Cup Final. The following postseason, he scored a clutch overtime goal in Game 5 of the second round against the Washington Capitals as they came from down 3-1 to win the series.
McDonagh was 28 when the Rangers traded him to the Lightning and he quickly became one of their top defensemen and played a massive role in their postseason success over the next few seasons. He remained elite defensively and matched up against opponents’ top forwards while being excellent on the penalty kill and late in close games. He also set a career-high in points with 46 by finishing with nine goals and 37 assists in 2018-19.
During the 2020 postseason, McDonagh averaged 24:16 in ice time per game and had one goal, four assists, and 46 blocked shots in 22 games as the Lightning won the Stanley Cup. Tampa Bay won the Cup for the second-consecutive season in a row in 2021 and he played even better, finishing with no goals, eight assists, and 46 blocks in 23 games while averaging 22:50 in ice time. Additionally, he was plus-18, which was the best in the NHL. He also helped them make a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021-22 but they lost to the Colorado Avalanche. He finished with one goal, four assists, and 69 blocks in 23 games while averaging 22:26 in ice time.
After the 2021-22 season, the Lightning traded McDonagh to the Nashville Predators. He continued to play well in a top-four role with them and finished with two goals, 18 assists, and was plus-12 in 71 games. Despite a disappointing season for Nashville in 2023-24, he played well and finished with three goals, 29 assists, and a plus-18 rating in 74 games.
Related: Lightning Happy to Have Shutdown Defenseman Ryan McDonagh Back
The Lightning once again traded to acquire McDonagh last offseason and he had an excellent season with four goals and 27 assists while playing in all 82 games. He also was plus-43 to lead the NHL. He is still a fast skater, makes smart decisions, and is rarely caught out of position.
McDonagh Would Have Been a Great Fit for the Rangers
The McDonagh trade has proved to be one of the worst in franchise history for the Rangers as he continued to play like a star and Miller became a star. None of the players they acquired worked out in New York.
The Rangers also do not have much depth on the left side of their defense and they have missed McDonagh. Ryan Lindgren had a few really good seasons but struggled in the last two seasons with Peter Laviolette as head coach and was traded to the Avalanche the 2025 Trade Deadline. K’Andre Miller appeared on the brink of stardom after an excellent postseason in 2021-22 and the regular season in 2022-23 but he has taken a step backward since then and struggled defensively this season.
General manger (GM) Chris Drury traded for left-handed defensemen Carson Soucy, Calvin de Haan, and Urho Vaakanainen during the season and while they all had some positive moments, none of them played like top-four defensemen. One of the Rangers’ priorities this offseason has to be finding a reliable partner for Fox.
McDonagh’s speed and strong defensive play would have made him an ideal partner for Fox, who is great offensively but a slow skater. The Rangers also had inconsistent play from Jacob Trouba and Miller on defense for the past few seasons and McDonagh’s consistent play would have been ideal.
For the Rangers Moving Forward
Former GM Jeff Gorton made some excellent moves with the Rangers but the McDonagh trade continues to haunt the team. While he is still playing at a very high level at 36 years old, his former team is searching for a left-handed defenseman who can play the same way as their former captain.
