The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed Ryan McDonagh for three more years. He is in the last year of a seven-year deal at $6.75 million AAV and was set to become a UFA after the season.
Tampa Bay extends Ryan McDonagh
3 x $4.1M
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 4, 2025
McDonagh is 36 years old, so his new three-year deal with a cap hit of $4.1 million AAV takes him to 39 years old. The veteran leads the defensemen of the Lightning in ice time on the penalty kill with over three minutes per game and has three goals and six points in 15 games.
McDonagh is currently injured, which is why he has missed 11 games, but the Lightning are still winning. With the cap going up and his cap hit going down, this frees up some much-needed cap space for the Lightning to work with, as they are still considered Stanley Cup contenders and McDonagh has been to the playoffs plenty of times in his long career.
It’s not surprising that the Lightning have extended McDonagh until likely the end of his career, as after they originally traded him to free up cap space in 2022 and he was on the Nashville Predators for two seasons, he and the Lightning wanted a reunion, and Tampa Bay brought him back.
McDonagh gave the Lightning a great first season back in 2024-25, finishing 14th in Norris Trophy voting with four goals, 31 points, a +43, and 152 blocks in 82 games. He likely won’t get the same recognition this season, but he is an important piece to what the Lightning are once again trying to accomplish with a veteran who was on the team for both of their Stanley Cup wins in 2020 and 2021.
Photo credit: © Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images