NHL's first trade of the off-season completed in surprising fashion

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Sam Walker
May 21, 2024 (3:14 PM)

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NHL's first off-season trade made official and it's a big one

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators both have a lot in common, while the Lightning have quite the rich history in recent years- both teams were eliminated in the first round of the 2023-24 playoffs.

The Nashville Predators were eliminated by the Vancouver Canucks which was expected, and the Tampa Bay Lightning were eliminated by the Florida Panthers who are heading to the conference finals once again this year.

After a let down to their fans in the first round, both teams decided to pair up for a pretty even trade to benefit both sides.

Ryan McDonagh spent five years with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017-22, and he is officially heading back:

Nashville Predators General Manager Barry Trotz announced today that the team has acquired a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for defenseman Ryan McDonagh and Edmonton's fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

With this deal made by the Lightning, they are now only left with $5M in cap space remaining, and captain Steven Stamkos not being signed.

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MAI 21 \| 336 ANSWERS NHL's first trade of the off-season completed in surprising fashion Who won this deal?
Nashville	177	52.7 %
Tampa Bay	159	47.3 %
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