When Ryan McDonagh returned to the Lightning this past offseason, he expected it to be a smooth transition back to a familiar place. But what he’s brought to the Tampa Bay dressing room has been unmatched.
He’s provided an even-keel presence throughout a season with its ups and downs. And playing a position that takes a tremendous physical toll, he has been arguably the NHL’s top defensive defenseman.
McDonagh’s offensive numbers don’t put him in the Norris Trophy conversation for the league’s top defenseman, but if points were awarded for toughness under pressure, he would be near the top of the ballot.
For the contributions he’s made on and off the ice, McDonagh is the Lightning’s nominee for the Masterton Trophy, given annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game.
McDonagh was selected by the Tampa Bay chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. The overall winner will be selected from the 32 team nominees by the PHWA membership.
“It’s a huge honor,” McDonagh said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of great choices here, and to be recognized means a lot. Obviously, it’s not just me. I’ve got a great supporting cast, teammates, family, friends, and I’ve been fortunate to have that since coming back here. So, it’s helping transition and has just allowed me to be myself out there.”
The award is named for Bill Masterton, the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game. John Cullen is the only Lightning player to win the award, receiving it following the 1998-99 season after overcoming non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
While the award often goes to a player who has made a remarkable comeback, McDonagh’s dedication to the qualities the Masterton is based on in his return to Tampa earned him the nomination.
A key piece of the Lightning’s back-to-back Stanley Cup teams in 2020 and ‘21 and clubs that went to three straight Cup finals, McDonagh returned to Tampa on May 24 after two seasons in Nashville. The Lightning had traded him to the Predators in July 2022 as a salary-cap casualty.
The 35-year-old is a big reason why the Lightning rank third in the lead in fewest goals allowed after finishing 22nd last season. His plus-42 rating leads all NHL skaters, despite often being matched up against the opponent’s top line. His calmness and warrior mentality has led to better defensive play, especially on the blue line.
“A Norris Trophy is going to be handed out to somebody, and it’s not going to be Ryan McDonough,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “But I’m a big believer that there should be another award for the best defensive defenseman out there, and it’s a player that every single coach would stand right here and crave.
“All the teams look for guys like that, and Ryan’s at the top of the list of being that kind of player for the past decade.”
As a result, teams that McDonagh has been on often win. This season will mark his 14th trip to the postseason in a 15-year career and sixth with the Lightning.
McDonagh also reached a pair of impressive milestones. He played in his 1,000th NHL game on March 27. On April 1, he became the eighth player in league history to record 2,000 career blocked shots.
“When you see a guy like that, blocking shots, putting his body on the line and doing everything to win for a team, everybody sees it around him and everybody wants to do that,” said Erik Cernak, McDonagh’s defense partner. It’s a very good feeling when you do something like that for a team, and everybody appreciates it around the locker room.”
“Sometimes you’re gonna get hurt, and it’s not easy, because the toll on your body is huge,” Cernak said. “You have to deal with big or smaller injuries. I feel like he just doesn’t think about it. When something happens, he’s just not putting it in his mind and always kind of like saying to himself, ‘It’s OK. I can deal with that.’ I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”
McDonagh said that for him and his family — he and his wife, Kaylee, have three young children —knowing Tampa well made his transition easier. And while the Lightning roster had changed since he left, much familiarity remained.
“A lot of factors, I knew my family would feel good about the situation, kids going to school, living in the same area,” McDonagh said. “That definitely helps you first, to be able to come to the rink not wondering how your family or kids are feeling at school and whatnot. So, that was the first most important thing.
“And then team-wise, it was pretty much the same system that I played a few years back and almost the same coaching staff and trainers and a lot of the same guys, too. So, like I said, it allowed me to fall back on that and just remember the style that I wanted to play and the systems. ... It’s been really good in that aspect.”
