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Tampa Bay reacquired McDonagh less than 22 months after sending him to Nashville as a money move, this time sending a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 seventh-rounder to the Predators for the soon-to-be 35-year-old and Edmonton's fourth-round pick this summer.

“Quite honestly, I didn’t really see a scenario of me being back in Tampa while on this contract I’m on, so I guess when I was informed of an opportunity it was hard not to be excited about it,� McDonagh said on a video call with reporters. “There’s a handful of guys on that team still that are proven winners. That core group is a special group, and to be back with them, it’s hard not to make you believe again that something special can be done once more.�

McDonagh played a key role on the Lightning's Cup runs in 2020 and ‘21 and their trip to the final in ’22. They have not won a playoff series since, losing in the first round to Toronto each of the past two years.

Reuniting with McDonagh gives Tampa Bay a top four that also includes '20 playoff MVP Victor Hedman, Erik Cernak and Mikhail Sergachev, who with a broken leg before in the first round.

“Their wanting to bring me back, it says a lot,� McDonagh said. “Hopefully it shows the group, the guys there that management is trying to do what they can to improve and keep making the team the best they can.�

Coming off a themselves, the Predators now have some more freedom with McDonagh's $6.75 million cap hit in each of the next two seasons off the books.

“This trade … allows us to continue to make tweaks and improvements to our team during the off-season,� Nashville general manager Barry Trotz said. "We want to make decisions that help us build on the success we had in the 2023-24 season by giving us as many weapons as we can get, whether it’s younger players on our roster, more impactful draft choices or salary cap flexibility.�

Cap flexibility is not something Tampa Bay has had a lot of lately, hence trading McDonagh away in the first place, but there's still the matter of with captain and longtime face of the franchise Steven Stamkos, a pending free agent. Stamkos and GM Julien BriseBois have expressed a desire to get a new contract done, but until that happens it's the biggest question facing the organization.

“I can’t say enough great things about him and the importance of bringing him back,� McDonagh said. “Hopefully they can find a way to make that happen and we can keep building special memories here in Tampa together.�

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AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed.

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