We now know the real reason Ryan McDonagh was traded: not salary cap

The real reason of Ryan McDonagh being traded by the Nashville Predators earlier today was revealed and it wasn't related to the salary cap.

A surprising trade was confirmed on Tuesday between the Predators and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Lightning sent a 2025 2nd-round pick and a 2024 7t-round pick in return for the defenseman Ryan McDonagh and a 2024 4th-round pick.

Many people believed that this move was made in order to create cap space. McDonagh has two seasons remaining on his $6,750,000 AAV contract. However, the GM Barry Trotz explained in a press conference that this wasn't his intent.

He stated that McDonagh asked to be traded during his end-of-season meeting, and the whole thing was about that, not for financial reasons:

However, that move also freed up valuable cap space that will likely be used by the Preds to land a top player, such as Mitch Marner:

Do you think the Nashville Predators will go after Mitch Marner on the trade market?

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