Powerful Lightning adds even more strength

The Tampa Bay Lightning strengthened its Eastern Conference-leading team by acquiring New York Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh.

The Rangers spurred their franchise overhaul by adding yet another first-round draft pick in consecutive days.

And Senators captain Erik Karlsson is staying in Ottawa for the remainder of the season after the league’s trading deadline passed on Monday afternoon.

The Lightning struck among the most significant deals by adding the 28-year-old McDonagh to a lineup already well-stocked with elite defensemen. Tampa Bay also acquired left wing J.T. Miller, a two-time 20-goal-scorer.

The Rangers acquired three players, including forward Vladislav Namestnikov, plus a first-round pick in this year’s draft and a conditional firstrounder in 2019.

The deal came a day after New York landed two draft picks, including a first-rounder, and three players in trading power forward Rick Nash to the Boston Bruins.

The Senators were unable to move Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy-winner, who will be making $7.5 million in the final year of his contract.

General manager Pierre Dorion acknowledged he fielded offers on every player over the past few months. When it came to Karlsson, Dorion said there was no “franchise deal out there” for his franchise player.

The day was otherwise dominated by a series of moves involving four of seven Central Division rivals.

The Winnipeg Jets gave up a first-round draft pick as part of a trade to acquire six-time 20-goalscoring forward Paul Stastny in a trade with St. Louis.

The Nashville Predators also gave up a first-round pick as part of a deal to land forward Ryan Hartman from the Chicago Blackhawks.

And the expansion Vegas Golden Knights added to their Western Conference-leading team by acquiring three-time 20-goalscoring forward Tomas Tatar from Detroit.

The Red Wings added three draft picks, including a firstround pick.

The San Jose Sharks added size and scoring by acquiring Evander Kane from Buffalo for two picks, including a conditional 2019 firstround selection, and a prospect.

The four first-round picks swapped — not including the two conditional selections — on Monday were the most to move on the final day of NHL trading since at least 2008, according to league figures. And no first-rounders had moved on each of the previous two trade deadline days.

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson attributed the amount of high draft picks swapped on how tight the playoff races are, particularly in the Western Conference.

Before games on Monday, six points separated the Sharks, who sit second in the Pacific Division standings, and Colorado, which is 11th in the West.

“It’s supply and demand of those players that can make a difference,” Wilson said. “Some people would say pricey, but it almost always is pricey at this time of year when you have competitive juices flowing.”

The Lightning’s first-round pick gives the Rangers 10 selections in this year’s draft, including seven in the first three rounds.