Three players the Lightning will have a hard time replacing
By Jim Lynch
Ryan McDonagh
Ryan McDonagh has been a leader within the Tampa Bay Lightning from the minute he was traded there from the New York Rangers. He has been with the team since the 2017-18 season and has been a critical voice for the team.
McDonagh might not have won a Conn Smythe or been praised as the face of the team during their two championships, but it is clear that there are no championships for the Lightning without McDonagh on the roster doing his job.
The Lightning are in a tough spot against the salary cap. Something had to give for them to compete in 2023 and that ultimately came down to trading McDonagh according to general manager Julien BriseBois.
During the past three playoff runs, McDonagh has played in 68 games averaging 23:10 minutes of ice time a night. he has 18 points as well as 201 hits and 334 blocked shots.
Mikhail Sergachev is expected to step up to the plate and be the new key piece to a shut down line with Cal Foote, but it definitely is not going to be easy for this team to replace McDonagh without a few hiccups along the way.