McDONAGH MOVED TO NASHVILLE
The Nashville Predators acquired defenseman Ryan McDonagh from the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Grant Mismash.
What does it give the Nashville Predators
The Predators already had two quality left defensemen in captain Roman Josi and the underrated Mattias Ekholm. Adding McDonagh gives Nashville another great defender from the left side, which might force Ekholm over to the right side. Preds GM David Poile has always built his teams around his blueline corps, so this deal makes sense for them.
What does it give the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay decided to make a difficult decision with regards to McDonagh, who was a key cog in their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021. They sacrificed him largely to be better positioned to retain unrestricted free agent winger Ondrej Palat. However, replacing what McDonagh brought to the table could be difficult for the Lightning.
Fantasy impact
McDonagh's fleeting fantasy value takes yet another hit with the move away from Tampa Bay. At this point, he is not a recommendable draft option in most league formats. Myers has plenty of untapped upside, but he is likely to settle in as a defensive defender with the Lightning (if he plays regularly). Mismash is a candidate to become a decent bottom-six forward option for the Bolts, though he will have plenty of competition with the perennial contenders.
