Former Ranger Ryan McDonagh thriving with Tampa Bay

When Rangers management announced in February 2018 that the team would be going into a rebuilding phase back, a key part of the message in its now famous letter to the fans was that, as part of the process, a lot of players were going to be traded, including some fan favorites who had played a big part of the team’s success over the years.

One of those fan favorites the Rangers traded away was the team captain, defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who was shipped south to the Tampa Bay Lightning, along with forward J.T. Miller, in exchange for young forward Vladislav Namestnikov, prospect Libor Hajek, a first-round draft pick in 2018 (who became defenseman Nils Lundkvist), and a conditional draft pick in 2019 that became forward Karl Henriksson.

As the fully rebuilt Rangers host the Lightning on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, they do so without a captain. They haven’t had one since McDonagh left.

Only two players – Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad – remain on the team from when McDonagh played on the Rangers. But his influence on those players has stayed with them and been passed on to the new generation of Rangers. Kreider on Tuesday gushed about McDonagh and what he meant to the Blueshirts.

“Mac is one of the best humans I've ever played with,’’ Kreider said at the Rangers’ pre-series media day. “I learned so much from him about how to be a pro, how to conduct yourself on and off the ice. The number of things that he did for our group when he was here, it's a very, very long list. I mean, he was our example of what it was to be a Ranger, and he's been instrumental for them and all the success that they've had. I don't know if you'd call him an unsung hero, because he does it so often, does it every single shift. So it's kind of obvious what he brings to the table at this point.’’

McDonagh, 32, enters the series second on the Lightning in ice time in the playoffs with an average of 22 minutes, 33 seconds (Victor Hedman led Tampa Bay, with 25:03). He has one goal, three assists and eight penalty minutes in 11 games. His 33 blocked shots were second-most in the playoffs, behind Carolina’s Brett Pesce, who had 34 in 14 games (the Rangers’ Adam Fox was third, with 31, while Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba were tied for fourth, with 30).

Each season, the question of whether the Rangers would name a captain – and speculation as to who it would be – has been a major topic of discussion entering training camp. Last summer, new general manager Chris Drury indicated the team would name a captain this season, but when training camp ended, the team instead went with six alternate captains, who share the leadership responsibilities.

McDonagh, meanwhile, has thrived – and helped the Lightning to thrive – since the trade. Tampa Bay has won the last two Stanley Cups, and McDonagh has been a major piece of that success, emerging as the Lightning’s No. 2 defenseman, behind Hedman. And while Hedman, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, and forwards Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov may be the faces of the Lightning, Tampa Bay forward Alex Killorn said acquiring McDonagh was a turning point in the Lightning’s ascension.

“That was the first piece going forward for us in becoming the team that we are today,’’ Killorn said Tuesday at the Lightning’s pre-series media day. “I think ever since he's been here, [he’s been a] leader on this team, a guy that when you think about the past couple of playoff series, [has been] one of our best, if not our best player."

Killorn did point out that the Lightning acquired other key players to help them win the Cup in 2020 and 2021. One of those acquisitions was Barclay Goodrow, who Tampa got from the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline in 2020 to add grit, and he played a significant role in the two Cup runs. Goodrow, of course, is on the Rangers now, trying to find a way to help his new team get through his old team to get to the Stanley Cup Final.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.