TAMPA — It’s never easy being traded during a season, but if you’re going to get dealt, it might as well be to the best team in the NHL, with familiar faces all over the locker room.
As Tampa Bay makes a push for the Stanley Cup, they made a major move at Monday’s trade deadline, acquiring defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller as the Rangers move into a rebuild with younger players.
“It’s not too often you get traded to the top team in the league — that’s the way I look at it,” said McDonagh, 28, who played eight seasons in New York, finishing as a team captain before the trade.