The Tampa Bay Lightning were without defenceman Ryan McDonagh for at least Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings with an upper-body injury. Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper made the announcement prior to the morning skate on Saturday. There’s no timetable on his return.
Update: Defenseman Ryan McDonagh will not play today in Detroit and is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 26, 2022
Ryan McDonagh Out with Injury
McDonagh left Thursday’s game against the Boston Bruins in the second period after blocking shot. Cooper said he didn’t have a good feeling about the injury when he saw it.
The St. Paul, Minn. native has three goals and 18 assists for 21 points in 60 games this season. McDonagh has a Corsi for of 42.4 and a relative Corsi of 12.4. He has 70 goals and 262 assists in 772 career games over 12 seasons. The Montreal Canadiens originally drafted him in the first round, 12th overall of the 2007 NHL Draft. He served as the New York Rangers team captain before being traded at the 2017-18 trade deadline
McDonagh has been a big player in the back-to-back Stanley Cups for the Lightning. He represented the United States at the international level at the World Juniors, World Championships and the Olympics. McDonagh was also the former Minnesota Mr. Hockey in 2007 and played at Wisconsin in the NCAA.
What it Means
It’s another injury blow for Tampa Bay going into the stretch run. McDonagh may not put up the offence that he did like when he was with the Rangers. However, he’s a solid veteran and a great leader on the ice. He’s played a key part of the Lightning’s playoff success over the last two seasons.
McDonagh is also a great shot blocker as he leads the team with 116 blocks. He’s willing to do anything on the ice to win and it shows in many ways. Mikhail Sergachev moved up to be the partner with Erik Cernak. Cal Foote and Zach Bogosian made the third pairing while Victor Hedman and Jan Rutta were the first pair for Tampa.
