Defenseman Andrej Meszaros is on his way to the Sunshine State. After a contract dispute lasting several months, the Ottawa Senators resolved the situation on Friday night by trading Meszaros to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defensemen Filip Kuba and Alexandre Picard and San Jose's 1st round pick in the 2009 Entry Draft, which the Lightning had acquired in the Dan Boyle trade earlier this summer. Sources say that Meszaros is expected to sign a six-year contract with the Lightning that will average $4 million per season.
***UPDATE*** The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that they have signed Andrej Meszaros to a six-year deal worth $24 million. Here is how the deal works out:
$2.5 million in 2008-09
$3.25 million in 2009-10
$4 million in 2010-11 and 2001-12
$4.75 million in 2012-13
$5.5 million in 2013-14
*salary figures come from nhlnumbers.com
The deal averages out to $4 million per season.
Meszaros and Ottawa GM Brian Murray had been locked in contract talks all summer. There were reports that Meszaros was seeking a deal worth $4.5-5 million per year, while the Senators were offering close to $3.5 million.
The trade also came after much speculation in recent days that Meszaros was going to receive an offer sheet from an unknown team. Rumors began to swirl shortly thereafter that Tampa Bay was the team that was going to sign Meszaros to the offer sheet, but lacked the appropriate compensation to do so, as they had traded their 3rd round pick in 2009 to Pittsburgh in order to get Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts. More rumors began to surface that Tampa Bay was attempting to reacquire the pick from Pittsburgh, but Penguins GM Ray Shero declined to make the trade and be associated with an offer sheet.
Meszaros scored nine goals and added 27 assists for 36 points in 82 games last season, while accumulating 50 penalty minutes. In three NHL seasons, Meszaros has 26 goals and 84 assists for 110 points.
Kuba had six goals and added 25 assists for 31 points and 40 penalty minutes in 75 games last season. Picard had three goals and three assists for six points and 10 penalty minutes in 24 games last season with the Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay.
The trade provides the Senators' blueline with experience in Kuba and a prospect defenseman in Picard. Kuba and Picard's combined salary of $3.8 million will make it more affordable for the Senators to pursue the scoring winger they have been seeking all summer. In all, the deal gives the Senators short-term help in Kuba and some help down the road with the 1st round pick and if Picard should develop into a star NHL defenseman.
The Lightning gain a promising young defenseman in Meszaros, but the experience on their blueline is relatively thin now. Meszaros, Matt Carle, Paul Ranger, and Shane O'Brien are the most experienced defensemen in Tampa Bay, all with three years of experience or less. With a lack of experience and defensive depth on their blueline, the Lightning would likely have to trade one or two of their forwards to address this problem. In all, the trade should work out well for the Lightning in the future.
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