Ryan McDonagh’s heart was always in Tampa Bay.

The 35-year-old defenseman spent five seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he won two Stanley Cup championships and was part of one of the more dominant NHL runs in recent memory.

He never wanted to leave Tampa Bay but was forced out the door two years ago when the cash-strapped Lightning traded him to the Nashville Predators for some much-needed salary cap relief.

But McDonagh approached Predators general manager Barry Trotz this offseason and asked to be traded back to his old team — a request Trotz granted and the Lightning pushed hard for.

“He will be hard to replace because he is one of those special humans. ”

General manager Barry Trotz explains the reason why he traded Ryan McDonagh back to Tampa🔊 pic.twitter.com/XFw0JDMfC4

— Bally Sports: Preds (@PredsOnBally) May 21, 2024

And now that he’s back at his old stomping grounds, McDonagh appears to be in a much better headspace than he was at any point the last two seasons.

“It’s a very special place for me and my family,” McDonagh recently told Da Beauty League, via NHL.com. “Two of my kids were born there. Between that and winning, those were some big moments I had there. And it’s a great community. A great place to raise your kids and a great market to play hockey, with an organization that’s behind you. They’re always going to go for the Cup, so it’s fun to be a part of that again.”

Though there’s plenty of familiar faces in the Lightning locker room, the team McDonagh is joining doesn’t look exactly like the one he left. Notably, his close friend and former Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is gone. Ironically, the 34-year-old signed a four-year, $32M deal with McDonagh’s former team, the Predators, in free agency.

While McDonagh would’ve loved to have been reunited with his good buddy, he understands he’s not living in a perfect world.

“That’s the business side of hockey,” McDonagh said. “Sometimes things don’t go according to the way you think it will. … I can’t speak for him, but I’m sure he wanted to stay. But I know he’s thrilled about Nashville too. It’s a great opportunity for him, and a great team down there too.”

Finishing out his career in Tampa Bay was essentially the driving force behind McDonagh’s offseason trade request. He has two more years left on his contract with a $6.75M cap hit, and he’ll be 37 by the time he’s eligible for free agency.

But he’ll presumably will hang up his skates before he signs with another team.