While Ryan McDonagh may have been traded from the Nashville Predators this off-season, he still looks at his former club as force to be reckoned with.

McDonagh was moved to the Tampa Bay Lightning in May, with his exit helping clear the cap space(opens in a new tab) necessary for the Predators to add Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei in free agency.

The Predators exited the playoffs in the first round this past spring after reaching in a wild-card spot, but McDonagh believes Nashville is poised to take a step forward this season.

“Last year was a heck of a season for us,” McDonagh told Jessi Pierce of NHL.com(opens in a new tab). “We were probably counted out by a lot of hockey analysts out there, but we put together a good run, and it was something to be proud of for sure.

“There’s no question that they’re going to be a team to beat this year.”

McDonagh returns to the Lightning two years after being traded by the club to the Predators. The 35-year-old defenceman was a part of the team’s back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2020 and 2021. However, the Lightning will have a new look this season after allowing Stamkos to reach the open market and instead adding winger Jake Guentzel in their most high-profiled move of the off-season.

“We have a lot of firepower throughout our lineup,” McDonagh said of the Lightning. “We kind of already have an identity established moving forward, but it’s also a different group in a sense. But it’s a group that we know we can build with and write our own story together.

“It doesn’t happen overnight, but if you stick with it, good things can happen. I can’t wait to get started.”

McDonagh, a veteran of 928 games with the New York Rangers, Lightning and Predators, is signed through the 2025-26 season at a cap hit of $6.75 million.