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09-02-2008, 11:56 PM
From NHL.com...
Did you actually think the Tampa Bay Lightning would stand pat prior to entering training camp in less than three weeks?
No chance.
The team that finished last in the NHL in 2007-08 continued the off-season overhaul Friday night by dealing defensemen Filip Kuba, Alexandre Picard and a 2009 first-round draft pick to the Ottawa Senators for restricted free-agent blue liner Andrej Meszaros.
Meszaros, who should provide the Lightning with an offensive presence, played all 82 games with the Senators last season, finishing second among Ottawa defensemen with 36 points. While manning the point on the power-play, he established a career-high six goals while ranking third on the team in blocked shots with 100 and fifth in average ice time with 21:02. He also saw plenty of time on Ottawa’s penalty-killing unit.
“We are very excited to acquire the rights of Andrej Meszaros,’’ Lightning Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Brian Lawton said in a statement. “Andrej is a perfect fit within our plan to rebuild the Lightning into a contender. He has a strong all-around game, he competes, he moves the puck and he can handle big, strong forwards defensively. Perhaps most importantly, we’re pleased to add a 22-year-old player with almost 250 NHL games already under his belt; we know Andrej will continue to grow and improve as he matures with the rest of our defense.
“We’d like to thank Filip Kuba and Alex Picard for their service to the Lightning,’’ Lawton continued. “It’s hard letting go of players that we like, but as we all know you can’t get something for nothing.’’
The Lighting, who open training camp Sept. 16, have certainly been an industrious team this summer. On July 1, the first day of free agency, the Lightning contracted Vinny Prospal, Ryan Malone, Olaf Kolzig and Radim Vrbata. They followed up by signing veterans Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi before finally trading Dan Boyle to San Jose for youngsters Matt Carle and Ty Wishart.
We needed to move assets in order to bring Andrej to the Lightning and we certainly feel we are a better, more competitive team because of this trade,’’ Lawton said.
Senators General Manager Bryan Murray was unable to break a contract negotiation stalemate with Meszaros and agent Ritch Winter, which led to his opting for Plan B.
Murray, whose team also opens training camp Sept. 16, couldn’t justify making Meszaros the team’s highest-paid defenseman over either Chris Phillips or Anton Volchenkov, his top defensive pairing. Meszaros, the Senators’ top pick in the 2004 Entry Draft, had a strong rookie year (10 goals, 39 points) but “left something to be desired the last two seasons,’’ according to Murray.
“To me, it wasn’t what we wanted to do,’’ Murray said. “I didn’t think it was fair to the other guys to pump (Meszaros’ salary) up to a point that was way beyond them.’’
Did you actually think the Tampa Bay Lightning would stand pat prior to entering training camp in less than three weeks?
No chance.
The team that finished last in the NHL in 2007-08 continued the off-season overhaul Friday night by dealing defensemen Filip Kuba, Alexandre Picard and a 2009 first-round draft pick to the Ottawa Senators for restricted free-agent blue liner Andrej Meszaros.
Meszaros, who should provide the Lightning with an offensive presence, played all 82 games with the Senators last season, finishing second among Ottawa defensemen with 36 points. While manning the point on the power-play, he established a career-high six goals while ranking third on the team in blocked shots with 100 and fifth in average ice time with 21:02. He also saw plenty of time on Ottawa’s penalty-killing unit.
“We are very excited to acquire the rights of Andrej Meszaros,’’ Lightning Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Brian Lawton said in a statement. “Andrej is a perfect fit within our plan to rebuild the Lightning into a contender. He has a strong all-around game, he competes, he moves the puck and he can handle big, strong forwards defensively. Perhaps most importantly, we’re pleased to add a 22-year-old player with almost 250 NHL games already under his belt; we know Andrej will continue to grow and improve as he matures with the rest of our defense.
“We’d like to thank Filip Kuba and Alex Picard for their service to the Lightning,’’ Lawton continued. “It’s hard letting go of players that we like, but as we all know you can’t get something for nothing.’’
The Lighting, who open training camp Sept. 16, have certainly been an industrious team this summer. On July 1, the first day of free agency, the Lightning contracted Vinny Prospal, Ryan Malone, Olaf Kolzig and Radim Vrbata. They followed up by signing veterans Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi before finally trading Dan Boyle to San Jose for youngsters Matt Carle and Ty Wishart.
We needed to move assets in order to bring Andrej to the Lightning and we certainly feel we are a better, more competitive team because of this trade,’’ Lawton said.
Senators General Manager Bryan Murray was unable to break a contract negotiation stalemate with Meszaros and agent Ritch Winter, which led to his opting for Plan B.
Murray, whose team also opens training camp Sept. 16, couldn’t justify making Meszaros the team’s highest-paid defenseman over either Chris Phillips or Anton Volchenkov, his top defensive pairing. Meszaros, the Senators’ top pick in the 2004 Entry Draft, had a strong rookie year (10 goals, 39 points) but “left something to be desired the last two seasons,’’ according to Murray.
“To me, it wasn’t what we wanted to do,’’ Murray said. “I didn’t think it was fair to the other guys to pump (Meszaros’ salary) up to a point that was way beyond them.’’