For the second time in the last five NHL trade deadlines, the New York Rangers dealttheir captain to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Shortly before Monday's 3 pm ESTdeadline, the Rangers and Lightning swung a blockbuster deal in which Blueshirts captain Ryan McDonagh and top-six forward J.T. Miller moved to the Lightning in exchange for center Vladislav Namestnikov, top prospects Brett Howden and Libor Hajek, a 2018 first round draft pick and a conditional first rounder in 2019. We have acquired Ryan McDonagh & J.T. Miller from the in exchange for Vlad Namestnikov, Patty Mills Jersey Brett Howden, Libor Hajek, a 2018 first-round pick, and a conditional 2019 second-round pick. : Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) "It's a very difficult thing to do," Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton said oftrading away McDonagh. "He's a player we viewed as a really special Ranger, captain of our team, was here for a lot fo good times and played a lot of good hockey for us. Very good player. Very good person. And definitely emotional to see him go. "At the same time, it's an exciting time for us, too. We're going young here, adding a lot of a sets." OFFICIAL: have acquired Derrick White Jersey Vladislav Namestnikov, Libor Hajek, Brett Howden, a first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, and a conditional first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft from Tampa Bay in exchange for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller. New York Rangers (@NYRangers) Back in 2014, the Blueshirts sent then-captain Ryan Callahan to Tampa Bay as part of a package for Martin St. Louis. The move helped spur the Rangers to an appearance in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, with McDonagh playing, perhaps,the best hockey of his career. The Lightning, who sit atop the league standings with 87 points at the time of this trade, hope for a similar deep post-season run this spring. However, unlike in 2014 when the Rangers fell to the Los Angeles Kings in five games, the Lightning will be one of the heavy favorites to go all the way. "There's some big expectations there that I'd love to be a part of," McDonagh told reporters on a conference call. The 28-year-old McDonagh, the Rangerscaptain since the fall of 2014, did not play since Feb.7 because of an upper body injury. The two-time NHL All-Star said Monday he is still 5-7 days away from returning, adding that Lightning GM Steve Yzerman emphasized not Trey Lyles Jersey to rush back from the injury. This season, McDonagh has26 points in 49 games,previously reaching40 points twice while also being the Rangers top shutdown defenseman. He has 96 games of playoff experience -- including runs to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final and 2012 and 2015 Eastern Conference Finals -- on his resume.In Tampa hejoins a defense corps which includes Norris Trophy candidate Victor Hedman, talented rookie Mikhail Sergachev and two of McDonagh's former Blueshirt teammates Dan Girardi and Anton Stralman. "I'm looking forward to reuniting with a lot of familiar faces in Tampa," said McDonagh, referring to Callahan, Stralman and Girardi. Miller, 24, is a two-time 20-goal scorer who sits at 13 goals and 40 points at the time of the trade. He ran in and out of favor with Rangers coach Alain Vigneault during his time on Broadway, with i sues centering on the defensive part of his game andtaking ill-advised penalties. However, he is also a hard-working and skilled player in the offensive zone, one who will fit into more of a secondary-scoring role with the prolific Lightning forwards, as opposed the higher expectations on Broadway. Interestingly, one of Miller's best, and most clutch,offensive performances came against the Lightning in the 2015 Eastern Conference Final when he recorded four points in a 7-3 win with the Rangers facing playoff elimination in Game 6. Bruce Bowen Jersey McDonagh said of being traded with Miller, "It definitely sweetened everything." Rumors of Monday'sdeal first surfaced after thedeadline pa sed.Namestnikov was the first player rumored to be in the trade to acknowledge as such, making a statement on Twitter. Thank you!!! Vlad Namestnikov (@Vladdy18) The highly-skilled Namestnikov already has established career-highs with 20 goals, 24 a sists and 44 points in just 62 games this season. Like Miller, he is a 2011 first-round draft pick who can play either center or on the wing -- with Gorton stating that the Rangers will start him in the middle and that "his versatility is appealing". Namestnikov, 25, joins the 26-year-old Ryan Spooner as skilled, youthful additions to the Rangers lineup in recent days. Spooner, who was acquired from the Boston Bruinsas part of the package over the weekend, and Namestnikov both are arbitration eligible this summer. Miller's contract isalso due to be a restricted free Fabricio Oberto Jersey agent this summer while McDonagh becomes a UFA at the end of the 2018-19 season. MORE : The Rangers are in the midst of a major roster overhaul -- alsomovingNash, Michael Grabner and in separate deals in the past week.Theylost their final seven games before the deadline, andsit in last place in the Metropolitan Division after reaching the playoffs in 11of the last 12seasons. After years of loading up and pushing for Stanley Cup runs, that it was time for the organization to focus on the future and that deals were imminent. Since then, the Rangers acquired six draft picks, five prospects and two NHL roster players. They now have ten selections in the 2018 draft, including three first rounders. "There's a lot of work here," admitted Gorton. "We're trying to build a team, adding these a sets, doing all these things, but there's a lot of work to be done. I feel like we are just starting."