Julien BriseBois wanted to explain his plan to Ryan McDonagh in person, laying out exactly why he’s asking the veteran defenseman to waive his no-trade clause.
After one of the most difficult conversations of his tenure as general manager, BriseBois made perhaps his most difficult move yet during the Tampa Bay Lightning’s successful run, trading away a prominent member of two Stanley Cup championship teams in an effort to win it again in the future. years.
The Lightning sent McDonough to the Nashville Predators on Sunday for junior defenseman Philip Myers and forward Grant Mismash, freeing up significant salary cap space to make more moves this offseason and setting up Tampa Bay to retain younger core players in the long term.
After previously predicting his team’s Cup window would only last next season, BriseBois moving McDonagh has been a game-changer for the NHL’s most successful franchise over the past five years.
“It allows us to make sure that we can be sure to extend it after one season,” BriseBois said. “We’ve cleared some cap space for this year, 2022-23, but more importantly, we’ve cleared some cap space for 2023-24 and beyond, which hopefully will allow us to secure the rights to Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergechev and Eric Chernak for years forward.”
The immediate consequence of trading McDonagh’s $6.75 million cap hit for Myers’ $2.55 million cap hit could allow the Eastern Conference champions to get back top left wing and playoff star Ondrej Palat and/or reliable defenseman Jan Ruta, either who was slated to be a free agent when the market opened on July 13.
BriseBois doesn’t have an update on either situation, but acknowledged that McDonagh’s move opens the door to more opportunities. He plans to speak with Palat and Rutta’s agents in the coming days.
Those should be better discussions than talking to McDonough about why he should prioritize other players for the future and hopes to find a trade partner for the 33-year-old who made the playoffs and helped Tampa Bay make a third straight finish, like playing with an injured finger. Above all, McDonagh was known for sacrificing his body to block shots while blocking opposing top stars.
“He’s one of the best defensemen in the NHL — he’s an unselfish player and a great leader,” BrizBoia said. “Ryan McDonagh is a great human being and a great hockey player, he’s had a lot of wins and helped us win a lot.”
BriseBois said if the salary cap is expected to increase more, he would never consider asking McDonough to waive his no-trade clause and would be happy to have him under contract for four more seasons.
The Predators now get those years and another experienced player on the blue line who has reached the playoffs in each of his 12 NHL seasons.
“Ryan McDonough is the ultimate team player who will bring experience and leadership to our lineup,” Predators CEO David Poile said in a statement. “With his ability to play in any situation, he immediately strengthens our defensive corps.”
Myers has already been traded in back-to-back offseasons after being traded from Philadelphia to Nashville last summer in the deal that sent defenseman Ryan Ellis to the Flyers. The 25-year-old becomes Tampa Bay’s latest rehab project after struggling so much last season that the Predators loaned him to Toronto’s top minor league affiliate.
BriseBois said the plan was to work with Myers instead of exploring buying out the final year of his contract.
“For whatever reason, things didn’t work out for him in line in Philly and Nashville last season,” he said. “We think there are enough tools out there that intrigue us enough to work with it and help it reach the potential that we saw not too long ago.”
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