“Tough to leave the guys in Tampa Bay” – Ryan McDonagh ready for new opportunity at Nashville Predators

Ryan McDonagh

Top ice hockey defenceman Ryan McDonagh is all set and excited for the upcoming opportunity to play for the Nashville Predators this National Hockey League (NHL) season. The 33-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 3 for defenseman Philippe Myers and forward prospect Grant Mismash.

McDonagh, 33, played five seasons for the Lightning and helped them clinch the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 titles. Tampa Bay even reached the Cup Final last season, when they went down in the best-of-seven series to the Colorado Avalanche in six games.

“It’s tough to leave the guys, everything we accomplished there in Tampa,” McDonagh said at Da Beauty League, a 4-on-4 summer hockey league for NHL, American Hockey League (AHL) and NCAA Division I players living in Minnesota, as quoted by NHL.com.

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“Am sure Predators are hungry for more and I want to be part of it”

The Saint Paul native McDonagh, who had 26 points (four goals, 22 assists) in 71 regular-season games and five points (one goal, four assists) in 23 playoff games last season, is likely to be paired with Mattias Ekholm in Nashville.

He added: “But we’ll have those moments forever. I’m just excited to join a team that’s hungry to win. It’s an older team mixing in with a lot of younger guys. Just from playing them over the years, it’s a tough team to play against and I’m excited to join and help out in any way I can.”

Jacob Trouba would become the 28th captain in New York Rangers history, and the first one since Ryan McDonagh, whose captaincy concluded in 2018. pic.twitter.com/wU4BdmmzIG
— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) August 9, 2022

“They’ve had a core group of guys that have been there for a while and have gone through a lot together,” McDonagh said. “It’s a group that’s made some runs in the past, but I’m sure they’re hungry for more and I want to be a part of it.”

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