When you watch New York Rangers' defenseman Ryan McDonagh play, you'd think he possesses the experience of a grizzled, battle-hardened veteran, the shutdown skills of a premiere NHL defenseman and the ceiling to do great things.
McDonagh is in just his second season and first full season in the NHL.
Originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (12th overall) in the 2007 NHL Draft, McDonagh has made a name for himself in just over 120 NHL career games as one of the up-and-coming defensemen in the league. Since his NHL debut on January 7, 2011 in a game against the Dallas Stars, the 22-year-old native of St. Paul, Minnesota has played at an elite level.
After impressing on the second-defense pairing in his rookie campaign, McDonagh was tabbed by coach Tortorella at the beginning of this season to replace Marc Staal—who began the season on the shelf with post-concussion symptoms—on the top pairing with Dan Girardi. Since the first day of the season, McDonagh never looked back and solidified himself as arguably the best defenseman the Rangers have.
In 82 games, McDonagh finished 15th in the NHL in ...
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Article written by James Wrabel, Jr.
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