Player Discussion: Ryan McDonagh

[LightningStrikes]

First game for the Lightning in the 3-2 SO win against Montreal, 19:15 TOI, 1 shot, +/- 0.

He had a nice takeaway but gave it away the next second to Montreal, who ended up scoring on a 3-on-1 for the 2-1 lead.

Thoughts?

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[Werewolf]

Thought he looked good. He is going to have inconsistencies while he learns the system but I think he is a great fit for what this team needs. He is much more aggressive than I had thought he would be in his first game both in the neutral zone and pinching in the Offensive zone. He sure likes to step up.

 

[The Macho King]

Great skater and has a good stick.

 

[AlphaCatalyst]

Great skater and has a good stick.

Pierre McGuire approves this post.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Pierre McGuire approves this post.

It still weirds me the hell out how closely he's standing next to Dutchy.

 

[2020 Cup Champions]

It still weirds me the hell out how closely he's standing next to Dutchy.

And the fact that he's bladed to the camera.

 

[Steazy Doo]

Matt Pettinger. There's a name I haven't seen in a while

Pierre McGuire approves this post.

 

[Bolt32]

Pierre McGuire approves this post.

This kind of creeped me out to be honest. More power to the condom I guess.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

2nd goal as a Bolt last night after scoring 2 all season as a Ranger

 

[LightningStrikes]

in his 5 games with the Lightning (2 wins, 1 OT win, 2 losses) McD

has 2 goals (2 points)
is a +4
has 8 SOG
has 6 hits
has 15 blocks (equals to 3 per game putting him 1st among our defensemen, Girardi is 2nd at 2.1 per game)
averages 20:45 per game (3rd behind Hedman's 25:53 and Stralman's 21:28)
* 17:39 TOI/GP on EV (3rd among Lightning defensemen)
* 3:05 TOI/GP on PK (1st among Lightning defensemen)
* 0:00 TOI/GP on PP (last)
* 25.8 shifts per game (2nd behind Hedman's 27.4).​

 

[Vasilevskiy]

As good as expected

 

[The Macho King]

His playstyle is different than I expected. I was thinking we were getting a poor man's Hedman, but he's more like a rich man's Girardi.

 

[CupsOverCash]

His playstyle is different than I expected. I was thinking we were getting a poor man's Hedman, but he's more like a rich man's Girardi.

I do like how he jumps into the offense a bit. Not too much as he knows when to. I thought of him as more a stay at home type D. Hes definitely made our D better.

 

[Werewolf]

I thought he has been excellent to be honest. Extremely well rounded ... I'd trust him out there in any situation against anyone in all three zones. A fully functional battle ready Hedman and McDonagh will give us the one-two punch on the backline that was so successful for the Hawks. Hedman = Keith and McDonagh = Seabrook.

 

[These Are The Days]

It just hasn't sunk in for me yet that he's here. Miller too. After so many years with essentially the same lineup I feel like it's some guys we've always had and they are simply deciding to play better or have simply just gotten better

It's so weird

 

[Flat Ronnie]

His skating and puck handling is impressive.

 

[LightningStrikes]

McD goes hard to the net which I have never seen a Lightning defenseman do so regularily as him. I have yet to see him mess up and get caught out of position because of it. Insane instincts on when to go deep and when not so far. I did not realize he's willing to get involved in the offense to this extent tbh. Another case of 'finally getting let off the leash'?

 

[CupsOverCash]

McD goes hard to the net which I have never seen a Lightning defensemen do so regularily as him. I have yet to see him mess up and get caught out of position because of it. Insane instincts on when to go deep and when not so far. I did not realize he's willing to get involved in the offense to this extent tbh. Another case of 'finally getting let off the leash'?

This is what I thought too. I always thought of him as a very defensive defenseman who doesnt jump into the play as often as you would like him to but he is very smart about it and knows when to go. I was talking to someone about Sergachev and how insane he will be once he knows these things too. It took Hedman a while but now hes a master at it. Sergachev who I think has a better offensive game than Hedman will be even better at that, insane to think about.

 

[DaBolts]

I have to admit it, I 'd love to see a Serge-McD pairing at some point....even if it is just for one period during the playoffs to screw with the other team.

 

[Maelmoor]

So far I've been really impressed by McD, such a great addition!

 

[Sky04]

McD's offense has been way better than advertised but I think his defensive game still leaves something to be desired - maybe he's not at full strength yet but he's been soft around the net at times.

 

[DaBolts]

McD's offense has been way better than advertised but I think his defensive game still leaves something to be desired - maybe he's not at full strength yet but he's been soft around the net at times.

Yes, but at the blue line, he's been speedy and solid.

By the way, did anyone every explain to Sustr why stopping the opposing team at the blue line is important?

 

[Levitate]

McD's offense has been way better than advertised but I think his defensive game still leaves something to be desired - maybe he's not at full strength yet but he's been soft around the net at times.

He's always been kind of weak around the net for some weird reason. Maybe it has been a systems thing with the Rangers (all their D seem to be bad around the net) but he's not great at tying guys up effectively. 1 on 1 and along the boards though he's always been great.

e: his offense has also always been pretty good. If he had a shot that was threatening at all he'd probably have been competing for the Norris for years because he's quite good at creating something but his finish is a bit lacking overall. That said, even last year he had 42 points. Between then and 2014 he had some shoulder injuries that probably affected his point production.

 

[Sky04]

If it was Sustr who left JVR untied in front of the net for that one goal he'd be crucified

 

[LightningStrikes]

If it was Sustr who left JVR untied in front of the net for that one goal he'd be crucified

That was pretty weak by McD no doubt. So far I’m actually far more impressed with his impact on offense than defense.