Rangers and Lightning Pull Off Blockbuster Trade That Includes Ryan McDonagh

By Djack

The New York Rangers have traded their captain Ryan McDonagh and forward JT Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Rangers in return received a 2018 1st round pick, a conditional second round pick that becomes a 1st if the Lightning win the Stanley Cup this year or next year, along with three young players. The players included are center Vladislav Namestnikov, Brett Howden, and Libor Hasek. This is a deal in which both sides got what they needed to achieve their goals. Rangers added a ton of future pieces that’ll speed up the rebuilding process and the Lighting got two key players to help get them a Stanley Cup.

The Rangers getting two good draft picks here was the marquee element of the trade. With that being said, the players they got shouldn’t be looked at as throwaways. Namestinkov is 25 and is having a career year. He has 44 points in 62 games with a +/- of 11. Safe to say he’s a solid piece, with the potential of being something even better. The other two guys are in the WHL doing a solid job. I honestly have no clue if they have the juice to be good players in the NHL, however the addition of two more prospects definitely doesn’t hurt.

Losing the captain in McDonagh is certainly going to sting for Rangers fans. I know how much he was loved by the fans, so no deal is going to make that any less painful. That’s the nature of the business, though. Everyone has to move on eventually, unless you’re King Hank of course. The Rangers draft the right players they’ll be back to competing in no time. They have three 1st round picks in the 2018 draft, which can be used to create the next core of a Rangers dynasty. Tough to say there’s a clear cut winner in this deal since both sides are getting exactly what they had hoped for at the deadline. 

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