Tue, May 21, 2024 at 1:08pm

BOLTS BRING BACK McDONAGH

The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired defenseman Ryan McDonagh and a fourth-round draft pick in 2024 from the Nashville Predators for a seventh-round draft pick in 2024 (No. 213 overall) and a second-round draft pick in 2025).

What does it give the Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning decided that life without McDonagh was no fun, so they reacquired him two years after trading him to Nashville. This should help solidify the Tampa Bay blueline once again, but at what cost? The Bolts have more moves to make to a) regain valuable cap space in order to b) fill out some big depth holes in their lineup. Stay tuned!

What does it give the Nashville Predators
For Nashville, this trade makes sense from a value standpoint. Landing a future second-round draft pick for a 35-year-old defenseman is a coup for Predators GM Barry Trotz, even if he had to downgrade a 2024 pick from round 4 to round 7. Trotz now has more cap space to work with this summer, and there are rumblings that he wants to make a splash.

Fantasy impact
McDonagh received some time on the power play with Nashville, but those days are likely over as he returns to the Lightning. Therefore, his fantasy value is moving in the wrong direction.