Ryan McDonagh, the Rangers’ 2013-14 MVP, is the best defenseman on the team and one of the best in the NHL … and the Canadiens traded him away before he ever played a game for them. Now, he’s getting his revenge.
McDonagh was sent to the Rangers in the 2009 Scott Gomez trade — the one that likely haunts Canadiens fans every night when they shut their eyes. Glimpses of Gomez flash in their minds, followed by visions of what could have happened had they kept McDonagh.
Heading into the Eastern Conference finals, McDonagh had never scored a goal against the Canadiens in 13 games. Less than two minutes into the third period of Game 1, he changed that.
He had a goal and three assists in Game 1, and then had a goal and an assist in Game 2.
Imagine McDonagh, 24, paired with the dangerous P.K. Subban, who recorded 10 goals and 43 assists this season for Habs. The combination of a shutdown defenseman like McDonagh with a fast, strong, offensive-minded blueliner like Subban would have been a nightmare for any opposing team. Unfortunately for Montreal, they are the only ones having nightmares nowadays.
McDonagh, signed through 2019, will be a main piece of the Rangers defense for quite some time and have plenty of opportunities to show the Canadiens what they are missing.
