Emotional Tampa Homecoming: McDonagh’s Anticipated Return with Predators

NASHVILLE — Ryan McDonagh and Jonas Johansson are set to embark on new experiences as the Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning kick off the 2023-24 season on Tuesday (5:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS).

McDonagh, a defenseman for the Predators, will have the opportunity to play a regular-season game at Amalie Arena in Tampa for the first time since being traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 3, 2022.

During his five seasons with the Lightning, McDonagh played a crucial role in their Stanley Cup victories in 2020 and 2021. Unfortunately, he was unable to compete when Nashville visited Tampa Bay last season, although he did participate in a preseason game in Tampa on Sept. 30.

“Obviously, it’s a special place,” McDonagh expressed. “Great memories, a fantastic group of guys who are still there, along with the coaching staff. That’s why I wanted to have a preseason game there, to help normalize the environment for me before walking in [Tuesday]. It was advantageous for us to face them a couple of times during the preseason.”

“Getting the emotions of returning to the building out of the way, including the tribute video, allows me to solely focus on playing. Tampa still holds a special place in my heart due to our success and cherished memories. However, it’s an ideal location to begin Game 1.”

Johansson, on the other hand, will experience different emotions as he makes his regular-season debut with the Lightning. He will be stepping in for their No. 1 goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy, who will be sidelined for the first two months after undergoing a microdiscectomy to treat a lumbar disk herniation on Sept. 28.

Coach Jon Cooper confirmed on Monday that Johansson will start in goal. Last season, the 28-year-old recorded a 2-0-0 record with a 2.10 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in three games with the Colorado Avalanche. He also performed impressively with Colorado’s American Hockey League affiliate, posting a 14-9-2 record with a 2.33 GAA and .920 save percentage in 26 games.

Johansson has played a total of 35 NHL games in four seasons with the Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and Buffalo Sabres, with his highest number of appearances being 15 during the 2020-21 season with the Sabres and Avalanche.

It has been seven years since a goalie other than Vasilevskiy started the season opener for the Lightning, with Ben Bishop being the last one to do so against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 13, 2016.

“I’m surprised he hasn’t seen more NHL action thus far,” said Cooper about Johansson. “Though, I believe goaltenders typically develop later, so maybe this is his time, and everything he has done previously has led him to this point. However, we should not read too much into the preseason performance, but he certainly deserves to be in the net [Tuesday].”

Forward Ryan O’Reilly will also be making his debut with the Predators as they face off against the Lightning. O’Reilly signed a four-year, $18 million contract ($4.5 million average annual value) with Nashville on July 1. He is expected to start as center alongside Filip Forsberg and Juuso Parssinen.

“Over the past few days, we’ve enjoyed being together as a group and skating together to see what we have,” O’Reilly shared. “There is excitement here, especially going up against Tampa, a team with an established identity. This will be a great test for us to start. We have a lot of talented players, and we’re eager to begin the season. We’re ready to go and hungry for success.”