Tampa Bay Lightning trade Ryan McDonagh to Nashville Predators

The Tampa Bay Lightning traded veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh to the Nashville Predators on Sunday to clear space under the NHL salary cap.

The Predators sent defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Grant Mismash to the Lightning for the 33-year-old McDonagh, who waived his no-trade clause to make the deal happen. McDonagh has four more seasons on his contract with a $6.75 million average annual value.

“If we didn’t live in a flat salary-cap world, it would never have crossed my mind to ask Ryan McDonagh to waive his no-trade clause because I would’ve been ecstatic to know that I had him under contract for four more years,” Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said Sunday.

BriseBois met with McDonagh face-to-face Wednesday regarding the decision.

“Not the most pleasant thing I’ve had to do in my tenure as general manager, but I’m sure it was even more uncomfortable for him because I know he didn’t want to leave the Lightning,” BriseBois said.

McDonagh played 71 games this season and tallied 26 points. He averaged 17:50 in ice time at 5-on-5 this season, which was his highest rate since 2013-14 with the New York Rangers (17:56). His 1.04 points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 was his highest rate since 2018-19 (1.46).

McDonagh spent four-plus seasons with the Lightning after being traded to Tampa Bay by the Rangers in February 2018. He was an integral part of their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, anchoring a second defensive pairing behind star Victor Hedman.

But after losing to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final, the Lightning engaged in conversations with McDonagh about waiving his trade protection, as they were desperate to create salary-cap flexibility — potentially to re-sign longtime winger and playoff hero Ondrej Palat, who is an unrestricted free agent.

“It gives us the flexibility to potentially re-sign Palat or [defenseman Jan] Rutta or address holes that need to be filled on the free-agent market or the trade market,” BriseBois…