Meszaros: It's a new chapter in my life

Andrej Meszaros didn't want to get too deeply into why things didn't work out with the Senators. He said he has "lots of respect for the Ottawa organization" and doesn't have any hard feelings. Asked if it was simply a matter of money that caused the contract dispute that put the restricted free agent on the market, Meszaros also spoke of the length of contract.

Tampa Bay, which traded Friday night for the 22-year-old blue-liner and gave up defensemen Filip Kuba, Alex Picard, and a 2009 first-round draft pick, signed Meszaros Saturday to a six-year, $24-million deal He will make $2.5-million next season; $3.25-million in 2009-10; $4-million in 2010-11 and 2011-12; $4.75-million in 2012-13; and $5.5-million in 2013-14.

"I wanted a long-term deal, and Tampa Bay, they wanted to give it to me," Meszaros said by phone from his native Slovakia.

"I wanted to stay in Ottawa but it didn't work out.Now I'm really excited to go to Tampa and play. I've got lots of respect for the Ottawa organization. I really appreciate Tampa Bay had interest in me. Now, it's a new chapter in my life. I'm going to do my best to play hard and try to win a Stanley Cup."

Meszaros, the Senators' first-round pick (23rd overall) in 2004, said he is best at seeing the ice, has a good shot and will be able to help on the power play, where he had six goals last season. He said he knows expectations will be high given what the Lightning gave up for him and that he will be expected to pick up a lot of the slack left by the trade of Dan Boyle.

"I wouldn't say it's pressure," Meszaros said, "but it's a great challenge. I like challenges, and hopefully I'm going to do good and try to play hard and win every game."

As for the commitment shown him by Tampa Bay, Meszaros, who has not missed a game in three seasons with Ottawa, seemed humbled.

"I was surprised they gave up that much for me," he said of the Lightning. "They gave up some good players. I really appreciate that. I'm excited and happy to be in Tampa. Now it's a great challenge for me to step up and play as hard as I can."

Comments

[Mike]

Meszaros *could* pan out, but after watching him live for the past few years, there are 3 truisms about him:
(1) all the tools, no toolbox
(2) he looked a lot like a #6 or 7 D without Chara
(3) He's really good at scooping the puck out of the net at the end of the play

Never heard / seen Kuba, and based on what is posted here he sounds like filler. Hope the draft pick pans out and suspect that if Picard does, it will turn out to be the upside in the deal. Ottawa wanted a shorter-term deal as he has only shown glimpses of ability amongst a lot of gaffes. Not worth 4.5 m, or even 4 for that matter.

Best of luck TB, and sorry to say it ... prepare the boo-birds.

BTW, ignore Habs fans ... they're like Maple Leafs fans except poorer. Neither know anything about hockey.

[léo]

He's just a kid, Don, it's ok. His family, Don. He's still at home. And compared to the child, Curtis is an angel.
He "owned" me, but wisely saw fit to omit any of the points in contention, except to say that an "entire town" told HIM (apparently year after year) that We thought We wee going to win...while We sucked. Ok. So that's what they told'im. Doesn't make it any more valid. What town? Sudbury?
My points are "feudal (apparently, he is tilling the land I own for me, in exchange for a small pittance that I deliver to the shack I lease him in the middle of my lavender field in the 11th century!) and wasted". Wasted? Ok.
Questioning his hockey knowledge (though he uses none) is like "bringing a knife to a gunfight"? I saw that in the Punisher movie. It was lame then too.
The Price joke is a good one, though.
The rest is insults. In other words, weakness.
He's just a kid, Don. 14. 15 tops. And he's not the child so there's always that.
Welcome, padawan. Manage your emotions and you can be great.
Jealousy, impertinence, aggression. These paths lead to the dark side of the Force.
You can try again if you want, Curtis.
Try hockey this time. Ain't gonna be mean to ya.
Try again.
Ottawa AREN'T chokers? Then tell me what's different this year.
And manage your emotions if you can.
P.

[Don in St. Pete]

Steve, I can't believe I even read that whole line of horsesh!t. As bad as Leo is you can still reason with him. This loser Curtis is trying to pump up his whole dying franchise on a Bolts blog.....go figure. I predict the sHABs go 5-1 agaisnt the Sens this year and that the Sens miss the playoffs.

[Steve R]

Curtis,

Your guys will play the Habs six times this year, not eight. You must have missed the press release.

[Curtis]

i doubled it up cause you obviously don't read things right the first time through, grenouille!

[Curtis]

angry froggie! Not me, i am having a blast. The reason i answer is simple, hopefully from your jumbly long-winded comments i try to extract what i can...yes live in the now, my little pea-soup monkey. 20 years (2 decades) is not living in the now, you want ME TO ASK AROUND, last time I did that I had an entire TOWN and family telling me that the habs will win again this year, so you can obviously understand my question that inteeligent gem you suggested...so keep proving me right. Are you even a real habs fanÉ goto montreal anywhere in quebec, heck go to a HABS not T-Bay fan site then lets talk peasoup. Just like Don, whom i obliterated (you`ve been owned as well, yes indeed) don`t steal my points and pawn off as your own...maybe re-read some posts if you get a chance mr.peasoup, and youll realize your points to be feudal and wasted. Yes my dear grenouille, you may be able to correct my francophone but not my knowledge of hockey, it`s like you bringing a knife to a gun-fight. You are basically unarmed.

It`s ok, you are the smartest, peasoup. Sleep well in your montreal combines, and we`ll talk again 8 other times this season. I say we`ll go 6-2 against les habitants. I pray we meet in the the first three rounds too...no doubt the name Leo will be vacant from this blog, out of shame, what`ll it be next, pierre, louis, jacques?

Settle down petit(e) grenouille, rest well. Pick up your Montreal calendar although it only goes up to March...O well I'll give my spare Sens Calendar, it goes up to the end of june.

HEY, btw, on a serious note, I heard Price tried committing suicide last. He jumped in front of a bus...It went BETWEEN HIS LEGS. Au Revoir, mon petite signe. LMAO...I win!!!!

[Curtis]

angry froggie! Not me, i am having a blast. The reason i answer is simple, hopefully from your jumbly long-winded comments i try to extract what i can...yes live in the now, my little pea-soup monkey. 20 years (2 decades) is not living in the now, you want ME TO ASK AROUND, last time I did that I had an entire TOWN and family telling me that the habs will win again this year, so you can obviously understand my question that inteeligent gem you suggested...so keep proving me right. Are you even a real habs fanÉ goto montreal anywhere in quebec, heck go to a HABS not T-Bay fan site then lets talk peasoup. Just like Don, whom i obliterated (you`ve been owned as well, yes indeed) don`t steal my points and pawn off as your own...maybe re-read some posts if you get a chance mr.peasoup, and youll realize your points to be feudal and wasted. Yes my dear grenouille, you may be able to correct my francophone but not my knowledge of hockey, it`s like you bringing a knife to a gun-fight. You are basically unarmed.

It`s ok, you are the smartest, peasoup. Sleep well in your montreal combines, and we`ll talk again 8 other times this season. I say we`ll go 6-2 against les habitants. I pray we meet in the the first three rounds too...no doubt the name Leo will be vacant from this blog, out of shame, what`ll it be next, pierre, louis, jacques?

Settle down petit(e) grenouille, rest well. Pick up your Montreal calendar although it only goes up to March...O well I'll give my spare Sens Calendar, it goes up to the end of june.

HEY, btw, on a serious note, I heard Price tried committing suicide last. He jumped in front of a bus...It went BETWEEN HIS LEGS. Au Revoir, mon petite signe. LMAO...I win!!!!

[léo]

...won more than you in OVER the last 2...
Wanted to tie the knot and forgot the word. Sorry.
P.

[léo]

Excellent, Curtis.
First off, if nothing made sense, why did you answer? Not making sense and not agreeing are often the same, I find.
Every year We plan Our parade? Can you SHOW me these plans? Oh, your family, oooh, well that's everbody, isn't it?
I can tolerate your having to use insults to compensate for your reasoning, but it's "petite", not "petit". Gonna insult, do it right at least. Or else, you embarass yourself. And you don't wanna do that; you're on a roll.
Retiring Roy's num. Maybe. Might be Bouchard or Lach or Lapointe or all of'em, how does ANY of that affect YOUR team of chokers?
Won nothing in over a decade? Well, We won more than you in the last 2. And how many Cups have YOU won "in over a decade"?
Most playoff appearances in a row? "running" (I love that). Well, congratulations, Curtis. Hey, the Buffalo Bills have an interesting achievement too. You remind me of them. Bravo.
I am happy that your ridiculous "running" achievement JUSTIFIES your team of chokers to you. Or else they would have nobody to root for them and I say every team should be loved, chokers or not.
You claim to live in the NOW and want me to do the same? I guess you're new here.
I am living in the NOW, baby. Ask around.
Lastly but not leastly, the Habs have won more Cups AFTER there were 6 teams than ANYBODY else.
You should maybe READ something before accusing others of not making any sense.
You can't talk tough with a team of chokers, Curtis, whereas We WEREN'T talkin' tough cuz WE SUCKED.
So if YOUR family was preparing the Parade and for you, that's everybody, and YOU were told by YOUR family that We DIDN'T SUCK?
Well, that ain't Our problem that you think that.
So relax, Curtis; with posts like that, you can NEVER make me upset.
Destroyed all your points; got anything else?
...made no sense...ah, kids!
Peace.

[Curtis]

OK Leo. None of that made that much sense. Come on, Hab fans....EVERY YEAR without doubt plan their cup parade. I have an entire family and town that do...come on, admit it petit grenouille.

Yes congrats on 100years....why are they retiring Roys jersey...I mean i know he was great, but the way they left things when he demanded his trade leaves much to be desired. definitely not computing with me there anything for a celebration considering no cups in over a decade and a half, little tougher with more than 6 teams, eh, ehhhh?

I love the froggies when they get mad...do doubt you're flapping one hand around as you type...it seems like you "av too manee word" you want to say and not much of it makes french,er, i mean sense. But I got a team working on it we'll figure it out soon mon petit 'peasoup' singe.lmao.

We have the longest running (canadian team), stanley cup tournament appearances so say what you will, we'll take the experience and use it, montreal and tb will continue tgo pluck players from our roster and overpay for em. How's bonk? Gone! From 60 point average in OTT to 20 in montreal...lmao. Mr Smolinski. STILL WANT DACKEL? That was Marcel not Marian...he was drafted 3 years ago, dummies! it takes time, but we'll get there, that will happen no matter what you have to say about it...you'll cry when we steam roll the habs...."24 cups" and all...live in the now Leo.

I am sure that every TB fan will agree with that, since there only been 2 other champions since them...it takes time...there's more than six teams now...lmao - 24cups! Au Revoir

[léo]

"ne comprennent" and "ce n'est", Curtis. Rest was alright.
Ain't trying to be stupid; that part just comes naturally to me. Love to watch you get mad at me but not dare to criticise my team in the same breath, btw. That was cool, so thanx!
Every year We pick them to win it all? Really? Cuz last year, I had'em 5th. Soooo...what? Everybody else but me? No.
You should be careful with generalizations, Curtis; they are easily toppled, so cannot be counted to be a reliable argument.
How'bout this: Every year YOU THINK that We pick them to win it all cuz if YOUR team was so prestigious, you'd act that way so why wouldn't We, right? How's that sound?
Tell you one thing, in the last 15 years, I picked the Sens to win it all more often than my Boys. Sooooo...?
No Curtis. THIS YEAR, I pick my Boys to win it all. Even over the Mighty Wings, who are Our Superiors, I readily concede.
But I got no choice. It's Our 100th. And We got the best team in the East and that's it. Yeah, yeah, whatever team YOU root for is better than mine, yeah, yeah. But bottom-line? That's it.
Folks, say what you will but, potentially, this could be the stuff DREAMS are made of, you MUST concur.
Hey, We get to the Final, Leo's happy.
As fer yer Sens, Curtis, hey, they certainly have the talent and the capacity and once my Boys were out and then the Oilers were, the Sens and TB are next on best wishes list, but...but...
But Curtis, HOW MANY TIMES must we witness with OUR OWN EYES your ignominous CHOKE-JOBS for us to get the message that you can't do it? Ok? You tried again and again and you choke and you can't do it and that' it. I mean...what, it's different now?
Please.
It's over. The Sens are chokers. Year after year after year after year, always the same, different round of the series.
Hey, I give'em credit fer gettin to the Ducks, ya ask me. But when they got BULLIED in the first game, right then, you could tell it was over. They just sagged. Against Pit, they didn't even play. They DIDN'T EVEN PLAY!
"Oh, his fault, your fault, my fault."
Bullspit. It was same and again. The Sens saw an opportunity to choke? And they seized it.
That's your num1 weakness and it always has been, Curtis. If the Sens had ever learned to, as Ajax says, show heart, they coulda, and shoulda, been the most formidable team 3,4 even 5 years running in the NHL.
And now it's gone. Cuz now the Sens KNOW they don't have what it takes, so the glass is already half-empty.
As Les Boys say: Le toughness du mental.
Ben, mon ami? Le tien? Y'est pas là.
P.

[curtis]

rbc...kuba blocked 131 shots - "The Score Sports Forecaster 2008-2009``. Doesn`t say how many Meszaros blocked. Leo, you are the same as every Hab fan. EVERY year you and them pick them as the hands down favourites to win it all. That`s just the way you Habs fans brains work. It makes me laugh every time though. Ottawa`s time is still now though, montreal is expected to finish runner-up in the NE, and Ottawa will win the championship based on solid `d` and experience. Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton, Philly they all lost in the finals before the ever won the cup....we`ll be there. parlant en français pour que les gens ne comprendront pas que n'est pas drôle, c'est stupide.

[PD]

Heh Leo thats exactly word for word what I have said here too and I have been pilloried for it.

Many here have no capacity for the bottom line if it doesnt point to the well known Bolt Rosies.

facts are facts, thx vbab

[léo]

There you go. See what you can get if you just ask nicely?
Thanks VBAB!
That's Mezzy.
P.

[JFCH]

Honestly, let's look at this move. The Lightning could have given up alot less then what they did. After making all of these signings over the summer the lightning still have to move forwards before training camp. The lightning could have kept Picard and thrown in Ward or Jussi Jokinen with Kuba for that matter and a third round pick and got the same trade. The Lightning minor league system is no where it needs to be and trading a first round pick is not a step in the right direction. The lightning look very good on paper but let's see if paper can gel on the ice come October.

[Don in St. Pete]

PD, I hope McCabe plans on scoring 35 goals as the stinking Pansies will need every one of them. I thought you were a Bolts fan and now you're a Panther's fan? I sure wish you'd make up your mind. To the person whos posted that I said I hoped Kuba could bounce back to his form of 06-07' ( when he scored 15 goals ), you're darned right I said that because I knew he'd still be minus 10-20 because he doen't have an d other than the stick check. Picard is gone, the deal is done. Smaby can, and will be better than Picard. Whether or not it's this season is the question.

[VBAB]

Hey, Sens season ticket holder here.

Just checking out the fan reaction here to this trade. I don't know Kuba and Picard that well, so I was seeing how you guys felt about it. Seems like Ottawa got a pretty good deal.

Here's the low down on Mez:

He's a great guy, no attitude problems, great team player. He played Junior in Vancouver Giants where we was a men amongst boys. That was no surprise since in Europe, he'd played with men, but went to Vancouver to advance his career. He had a great rookie season where he led the league for much of the season in plus minus. BUT, he played with Chara. When Chara left, he was minus 15 (the year we went to the finals). And last year he was only +5. So he had one great year (with Chara) which made people think really highly of him, and 2 disappointing seasons. He also moves his feet pretty well, but rarely hits people. And he'll do fine on the powerplay, but I'm not sure he's a top notch quarterback.

Anyways, he wanted more money than Phillips and Volchenkov, and that's crazy talk because he's not as good as either. THOSE TWO were the reason we made the finals.

Anyhow, based on the love I'm seeing for Picard on these posts, I think Ottawa may have done better on this deal than tampa. You have a solid young player with some upside, but no all-star. For that we got a comparable player in Kuba, a young player from ottawa (picard), and a first rounder in a deep 2009 draft year.

[léo]

1993 Gareth?
Oh no, sir. It's 1977 again.
Anyways, I see that you are one who will not Join so I leave you to your Sens. We have bought lillies; they will look dashing on you.
Deluded? Always, sir. Second coming of Roy? Oh no, sir.
The first coming of the Priceberg.
But hey, you mock cuz you got nothing to worry about, right?
And rbc,
Though I admire your determination to make this a perfect race...I mean, perfect blog, I have to remind you of what Princess Leia said to Grand Tarkin "The more you tighten your grip, the more bloggers will slip through your fingers."
And maybe Gareth can confirm this but don't they have, like, ten times the amount of Cups you do?
Oh right, right, right, 2004 was the ONLY year the Stanley Cup ACTUALLY counted, right, right, right.
Sorry, I forgot.
P.

[Gareth]

Ha! Les Canadiens barely make it into the 2nd round and all of a sudden its 1993 again!?! You're deluded. Price is not the second coming of Roy.

As for the bolts, I'm sure you'll improve over last year.

[rbc]

reading all this garbage about our defense is funny they have not taken the ice. mezz blocked over a hundred shots last year how many did kuba, I liked picard but can't get nothing for nothing. that said knowing ottowa they draft another daigle and waste another pick. whats with all these other people coming on a bolt site and complaining about how bad our team is when they have never won a cup (sens), (wash) atleast leo has a team in the habs that have taken home the prize and can make a argument. Anyway the sens are the biggest chokers all of time in the nhl and should be embarassed to show on another teams bolg and spout stupidity.

[léo]

Gareth!
A Senator fan! Hey, are you Vic?
No? Ok, Gareth it is.
Gareth?
Your time is over. Your Sens are finished. Your dream is no more. You had your chance. You had your chance and you BLEW IT!
The division is now Ours. The future is Hab world. The future is Our time. It would be much simpler for you to Join Us...pauvre gatinois.
Rest in peace, Gareth.
Ou joins-toi à nous. Car c'est la seule issue qui te reste.
Yo.

[léo]

So are we all in agreement that we all agree with Leo?
That Mezsaros is NOT a top2 as well as being not enough and that you need AT LEAST another top3? If not two?
Cool.
Now that that's settled, can we all now agree that the Habs are going all the way? Hey, if I'm right about everything else, how can I be wrong about THIS?
What? What?!
Oh, alright, I'll be quiet.
For now...
P.

[Gareth]

As a Sens fan, I don't really care who we got for Mez, just as long as he's gone.

This post from our side of the looking glass sums it up nicely.

http://fiveforsmiting.blogspot.com/2008/08/caveat-emptor-or-how-tampa-spent-their.html

[Boltflasher]

PD, I agree, on paper the Panthers SHOULD have a better D...and the Bolts SHOULD get another defenseman or 2 and SHOULD not need an enforcer....

[PD]

Seems MCabes kids start school in Miami tomorrow so lets take a big gamble and chalk that one up.
Lets see, their defence now looks like:
Bouwmeester, McCabe, Ballard, Boynton, Skrastins, and Bryan Allen with a top 10 guy in the nets.

How do we compare Don?

[PD]

Mezz ain't Volchenkov, he's regressed badly since being paired with Chara.

Lets see: physical, nope, steady defensively , not remotely, flashes offensive prowess on occassion, check, 6 year albatross contract, check.

You guys have it all figured out.

Now you have no NHL d men.

Try adding 4 Don and do stay under the cap.

[Twinebulge]

Seems like two distinct camps on this trade, haven't seen it like this in a long time. The majority holding that Meszaros is already where Picard hopes one day to be (except Picard is a bone-crunching defensive stalwart with emergency goaltending ability--nice to have on a Mike Smith team--and Mez isn't) and the minority decrying this as more proof that "change" isn't always for the better. We'll just have to see; I'm inclined to believe we still need a big tough defensive-minded Dman before we'll be contention-ready.

The neg remarks about Mike Lundin are a tad surprising. All the guy ever does is be in the right place, right time, make the smart, safe play, rarely take a dumb penalty and hardly ever get mentioned....just what I want from a defenseman

[p-mac]

Kuba was never a top-2 D-man.
He wasn't used properly in T-Bay
because Boyle was hurt most of the year
and they had no depth.

Kuba in Ottawa will play on the 2nd defensive pairing with Jason Smith. Kubawill also see action on the first power play unit.

That's a far better way to deploy him
and get the most out of him.

Meszaros is a top-4, not top-2, guy.
Maybe Ranger will cover up his gaffes
but who else is there now in T-Bay on D? Carle is strictly power-play material.

[Don in St. Pete]

My feelings exactly Tundo. Kuba has some fancy stickwork, but you have to wonder why he was always coming from behind the play to break it up with a stick check. I think it was because he was usually beaten around the outside or caught up ice after a turnover. Let's hope Mez can pick up his game to the level he's capable of, and that he develops even further.

[tundo]

The fact that we could get anything in return for Kuba is a surprise to me, and brings great relief. He was one of the worst defensemen I have ever seen last year, at times he didn't even look like an NHL calibur player.

I hate losing Picard, because he showed signs of being a good top 4 defensemen last season. Plays hard with good work ethic. But he has pretty much maxed out his potential. He was basically given to us by Philly as well, since we have Prospal back.

All in all, its a decent trade for the Bolts. They get someone they can feel comfortable playing with Ranger on the top pairing. Id much rather have him there then Kuba...

[Don in St. Pete]

PD, We've been through this 100 times. I'd really rather not go there. I understand you liked Boyl and Richards, but 2 guys do not make a team. Go read the Tolensky article, he covers it pretty well. One more time, " the cupboard was essentially bare ". Yes, I would prefer some more defensive minded defensemen, so the loss of Picard stings. But, I firmly believe the Lawton, Koules and Barrie have plans for adding a top 2 type shutdown defenseman.

[PD]

The defence was aging and shallow so you give up a highly promising rookie and a 1st round pick in a deep draft for a kid that has regressed last two years?

You have yet to identify how this team is one iota better Don.Clicking your heels and wishing it so doesn't cut it.

They are life and death for 3rd in the SE. If Fla grabs MCcabe, your looking at 4th.

[Don in St. Pete]

PD, I guess you didn't read the article. To quote " The D was aging and shallow " and " the cupboard was esentially bare ". I agree to do it right and sustain it year after year, you have to build from within, and I believe these guys will do that. In the meantime, they want to show a committment to the fans and have improved the team dramatically. NTMM, I hate the 2 for 1 aspect of the deal too, especially because it included Picard. On the other hand we got a d-man who played all 82 games each of the past 3 seasons and is better than anyone we have now. I'm betting that OK and crew are not done yet but are working diligently to acquire that 1 additional top 2 d-man.

[Not the Marlboro Man]

When I heard we gave up Picard along with Kuba (no big deal) and a first round pick...I nearly lost my coffee through my nose. Picard showed that he excelled in aggressive defensive play, was not afraid to give up the body around the net and has courage under pressure and has good hockey senses for his tenure.

I'm with all of you who say that we gave up too much. patients was the key here. They could got a defenseman once the season started from just about any team with out there with a disgruntled cast. Once the trade dead line comes around hopefully they can get back some draft picks.

I Really believe that this is the first Feasterish type move that Lawton has executed and I really don't like it. This looked like a rookie GM who couldn't wait to pull the trigger with good timing. Who ever mentioned Lundin being involved instead of Picard...your dang right. Hell, training camp hasn't even started yet, so how do you know what you even have without evaluating it? I'll say this, Picard was probably the brightest shining hope on that young defense but inpatients has destroyed ever seeing that future in Tampa.

Meszaros had trouble in Ottawa, who's to say he won't have it here. He better be at least as good as Sheldon Souray for that kind of potential they gave up. The Bolts are no better off with the cap numbers now either. I'm sorry if I offend anyone but this was a rookie trade!

[Curtis]

just a thought. What happens if the cap drops? True, it has increased exponentially since the lockout. "What goes up..."? Where does that leave TB with these bulky long-range contracts....buyout hell, thats where and even portions of those count against the ceiling. Oh well that will be a tough nut to crack when it happens what with all the fiscal irresponsibility and all.Should be fun to watch the implosion.

[DSB]

I agree with Boltflasher. I would have liked to have kept Picard but what's done is done for now. Let's see what happens. You can't say OK has made this a boring off season. I do hope things will settle down after camp and OK allows the team to build up over time and build through the draft. Constant trades and UFA's each year never seem to work as the team chemistry suffers.

[PD]

Good pick up Flasher.
That article says what I have maintained from the get go with these Koules moves.
There are no better , just different.
It's like trading underwear other than the addition of Stamkos as the Joker team reward.

[curtis]

kuba never finished a season with a
-15 rating. Kuba 24 playoff games 4g 13pts .54 points per game (mez 34g 2g 9pts .25points per game).And yes, offence wins scoring championships and defence wins championships we have phillips and volchenkov (the leagues premier shutdown pairing) smith (all world defensive d-man and leader extraordinaire) schubert (a good mix of off and def)the youngsters lee and bell and PICARD lot of promise there!! Throw in Kuba, who can now focus on being an offensive defenceman(which IS his bread and butter)Ottawa won this deal big time...we have a structure in place and Bryan stuck to it by plucking players off an inexperienced GM and Team owners and dumping garbage on them and calling it gold. Savvy move Bryan, well done. I would've loved to have T-bay's 1st pick instead of SJ's. The only reason why Lawton kept it is cause HE KNOW's where he'll finish this year and so on and so on and so on!Oh well, T-Bay that move alone speak's large of the direction you beloved team is going.

[rbc]

I am relaxed, for so many years we had owners that just tried to get by and now we have some that are actually trying to biuld something may work may not only time will tell. OK hockey cleared some dead wood out and got rid of some good players but you have to give to get and time will tell what moves worked and what did not until then i am happy with the direction they are going.... as far as the habs are concerned i dont care and if i did i would spout on the habs site, but i do not so like i said we have cup winners on the lightning that won it with the lightning and the habs do not and really dont care if they are the best team since sliced bread. They still have not hoisted the cup and either has mats and if they do then my bad......... still think vinny will be hoisting his second b4 mats hoist anything. enjoy the rest of your day!!

[léo]

Ok, rbc.
I guess you're right. Then it's all settled then, you got nothing to worry about, right? You'll beat the Habs easy, cuz you won a Cup this century and We haven't and that's ALL that matters, right? Good luck with that.
If you want, you can turn your post into lullabye lyrics and rock yourself to sleep every night humming them to yourself with your eyes closed tight and your fists pressed into your ears to block out any OTHER sense perceptions except the ones you delude yourself with, like the PRESENT SITUATION for example. Yeah, ignore that, rbc; you don't need that fact gummin' up the works. Ok?
Ok.
Everything's gonna be juuuuuust fine, rbc.
You'll beat the Habs easy, right? You saw how We got "pounded in the playoffs", right?
Oh no, wait...
You weren't there.
I guess you were preparing your delusions for THIS year at the bottom of the till. "We won a Cup this century!"
Brilliant. You're all set.
If you don't wanna hear about my Boys, rbc; it's simple: DON'T bring'em up.
As for my "sight", relax, it's covered.
And it's not as tunnel-visioned as yours, lemme tell ya.
Oh! A little "jeu de mots" there; a little "double-entendu". Zinger!
P.

[Casper]

Geez, Mez hasn't yet coughed up the biscuit in our end or ducked away from contact like a little wuss and already I'm wishing Dallas would take him off our hands. Oh yeah, they do something called defense---in their system. Recall they wouldn't give up Fistric last winter, now we are stroking ourselves over Mezsaros?

Forgive this old body slammer for not getting hiccups of hype all over a "puck moving defenseman". Not with the forwards we now posess.

Hope some of the veteran presence jerks a knot in Mez's backside when he peels off from a check. I forsee that they will, and the kid will sulk and under-achieve until we get someone to haul his load for him.

Sorry, that's how I see it...

Go Bolts!

[Boltflasher]

I encourage everyone to read Daniel Tolensky's column about the Lightning on Hockeybuzz: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=16607
...A very realistic and sober look at the Bolts today versus 1 year ago.

[rbc]

what has sundin won in the nhl????nothing. montreal won the east and got pounded in the playoffs..... montreal has one good year in the last how many and we have to hear how great they are, sorry don't care like i said go to the habs sight and spout the insanity and let us talk about the bolts. I love the new ownership and think they are doing a great job, but only time will tell. You people who do not like my comment about sipping out of the cup, well its true and when the habs sip out of lord stanley this century then you can say what you want until then the southeast division won as many cups this century as any other division and that is fact and the habs have won nada!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[léo]

That's ok, Mike. Actually, it's comments like rbc's that tend to put things in perspective the most.
As for the goaltending being the main issue in Mtl, Mike, you may be right...but the same thing happened to Fleury year before last. Same thing, except Fleury went out in 5 as opposed to 11 for my Boy. We saw how Fleury rebounded in Rd 2 of his playoff experience; let's give my Boy another shot as well, what say thee?
I think the main issue is not having a Holmstrom-like center who can win faceoffs and score goals.
Besides all that, We finished 1st. Switched Ryder for Tanguay. Added Laraque; lost Streit. Cry-cry, remember what they said about Souray leaving: "oh, their PP will disappear, bla-bla", same with Streit; they are NOT the PP; Markov and Kovy are.
Sundin. You gotta beef with Sundin, rbc? Ouch. Proven loser? With Toranna, sure. Guess what? If YOU were on that team, you'd be a PROVEN LOSER too. I guess Gretzky was a proven loser in St-Louis, right?
Oh, but when Sundin played for Team Sweden, why isn't he a "proven loser" anymore? That's odd, wouldn't you say? That a hockey nation would appoint a "proven loser" as CAPTAIN of their team. Odd. And then they won! With a "proven loser". How do you explain that, rbc? Gee, could it have anything to do with the TEAM around him? I wonder...
Put Sundin with the Wings and you'd be crying home to momma everytime he showed up in your city, rbc.
Put Sundin in Carolina and you'd have had an inter-divisional contract put out in his life years ago.
Leave Sundin in Toranna and you can keep yapping about how he's never won anything on a goofy team forever, but to call him a "proven loser" when he's PROVEN just the contrary shows you've missed a few things here and there about this particular Swede.
What rbc, did he buy the last IKEA table you wanted? What's with the hate?
P.

[Kane88]

Thankfully, the Montreal scab has a tiresome, but easily recognizable style/format to his postings...keeps me from having to read more than a sentence of his garbage before skipping over...

[Boltflasher]

Mezsaros was awesome when paired with Chara. Then there was some question when he was paired with Redden. Chara had his back but Redden did not and in fact Redden was caught up ice so much it was Mezsaros who had to cover for Redden, so there is some question as to how good this guy is. I would have rated the deal straight up with just trading Kuba and either Picard or a #1 pick, not all three, however, it does not mean I am going to bash present management,...yet. Let's see what happens...

[Mike13]

That last comment is disgusting RBC.

And I'm certainly no Montreal lover, but to say that they will be dominated this year is weak. The only team that would dominate them is not even in their conference - Detroit.

I think th weakest link on the whole Montreal team is its goaltending. TONS OF POTENTIAL mind you, but its potentially their Achilles heal.

[rbc]

I, just want to say look at all the hockey sites about a month ago saying sens better sign mezz or pack with verm. and trade for blockbuster deal and now the trade went down all of a sudden mez is the worst player ever and kuba is this stud. Mez is ten years younger and is just starting to get in his early prime years, picard is still an unknown who could not crack the flyers line up and the 1st who knows could be good or a bust. I will say this one more time this is a great trade for us, and maybe the sens in the future. as for all you habs fans they will be dominated this year and if that proven loser mats comes to town still just makes you a mediocre team at best. Keep living in the glory years cause thats all you got. Bolts will rule maybe not this year but after that watch out. its a new century and the only cup the habs sipped out of is the bolrts jocks.

[léo]

Now hold on,
Just because Ottawa MAY have gotten the better of the deal DOESN'T mean it was a bad deal for TB. Out've the 3 nhlers involved PLUS the 1st round pick to be named later, Mezsaros is DEFINITELY the best player RIGHT NOW.
If Picard doesn't crack the 4-spot and if the num1 pick turns out to be nobody, then cha-ching! The OTHER thing is that, no matter what, THIS CANNOT bite you in the butt this year. Kuba and Picard will NOT be back to haunt you.
That's not the part of the deal that rankles Leo. Leo just says that Mezsaros in TB is NOT ENOUGH.
As for the pom-pom comment, Chic, hey, I carry pom-poms too. Rest assured that I'll never say anything to get YOU after me. No sir, maam. Gimme SOME credit.
You've been to Mtl, Chic; I think you understand Our hockey mentality. We're all about the sharing. We hope you enjoyed yourself and told others of Our magic.
PD, you read my mind,
I also wondered if Don was thinking of Volchenkov when he was saying that bub played "well against Us". We consider Volchenkov to be MORE a Senator-factor than Mezsaros ever was. Didja mean Volchenkov, Don? He's played well against Us, skates like a locomotive and blocks half of Our shots. We NOTICED him; not so much Mezsaros.
But had HE been parta the TB deal INSTEAD of Mezsaros, guess what? It STILL wouldn't be enough. You need another top-D, imo. Hey, maybe I'm wrong.
And Don?
Your amendement is kinda weak: you rectify by saying Mezsaros played "well" against Us, not "excelled". Well, what's your point then? Kuba played "well" against Us too without excelling, so what's your point? Hey, Denis played well against Us too, remember? Yet, NEVER, did those players concern Us, so what's your point? You're scramblin', mate.
The rest of "my fantasy" that you won't comment on, what, the Cosmopolitan Magazine fantasy?
C'mon, that was funny!
And it makes the same amount'o'sense as YOUR fantasy, the one that has Us Mtlers sighing in relief that Mezsaros is gone.
No?
Huh, the PP specialist with 6 goals? Yeah, thank gosh he's gone. Whew!
P.

[Don in St. Pete]

PD, It's true that there is an inherent risk anytime you offer someone a long term contract. On the other hand if these guys continue to progress than you have them at a bargain through the prime years of thei careers. A risk no doubt but an exceptable one IMO. If Boyle plays on the top pairing in SJ, they will be drafting well before us next June.