Lightning strike by adding Mcdonagh at NHL trade deadline
Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman now has something in common with Boston Bruins counterpart Don Sweeney.
They both tapped the New York Rangers before the NHL trade deadline Monday.
A day after the Bruins landed power forward Rick Nash from the Rangers, the Lightning followed suit by acquiring New York captain Ryan Mcdonagh in a multiplayer trade.
“We take note and we look around, and we feel the moves made in our conference, those teams are better,” Yzerman said shortly before the Nhl-leading Lightning played at Toronto. “But our moves were not to keep up with the Jones.”
Whatever Yzerman’s motive, it didn’t matter to Rangers GM Jeff Gorton as he continued to overhaul an aging roster.
New York also sent forward J.T. Miller to Tampa Bay in a deal that netted the Rangers forward Vladimir Namestnikov, two prospects and two draft picks: a firstround selection in 2018 and a conditional firstrounder in 2019.
“Just trying to take it all in,” Gorton said. “We have a lot of new players, a lot of new faces, and we’re looking forward to the opportunity as we go forward.”
The rebuilding Rangers now have three firstround picks, including one from the Bruins, in this year’s draft and seven in the first three rounds.
The 28-year-old Mcdonagh joins a Lightning lineup already wellstocked with elite defensemen. Miller is a twotime 20-goal scorer.