The Tampa Bay Lightning locked up recently acquired defenseman Andrej Meszaros on Saturday.
The Tampa Bay Lightning locked up recently acquired defenseman Andrej Meszaros on Saturday. Signing the 22-year-old to a six-year contract.
Meszaros, entering his fourth NHL season, was acquired from the Ottawa Senators on Friday in exchange for fellow defensemen Filip Kuba and Alexandre Picard and a first-round draft pick.
The Lightning wasted no time securing their newest player long-term. Terms were not immediately disclosed, but according to a report in the Tampa Tribune, the deal is worth $24 million.
Andrej will be a very big part of our hockey club moving forward, said Brian Lawton, Tampa Bays executive vice president of hockey operations. At 22 years of age, he will only continue to improve and mature as a player. NHL defensemen typically dont hit their prime until 25-26 years of age, and we look forward to working with Andrej throughout that time and beyond.
The 6-2, 218-pound Slovakian was a first-round pick by the Senators in 2003 after spending two seasons with HC Dukla Trencin of the Slovak Extraliga, the countrys premier professional hockey league.
He paid immediate dividends for the Senators, becoming a key contributor on what has been one of the most successful teams in the Eastern Conference over the last decade. He led all rookies with a plus/minus of plus-34 and scored 39 points during his rookie campaign in 2005-06. A year later, he had a goal and six assists and registered a plus-5 rating for the Senators as they advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing in five games to the Anaheim Ducks.
In three years in the league, Meszaros has yet to miss any time, playing in all 82 games each season. Thus far in his NHL career, he has 26 goals, 84 assists and a plus-24 rating.
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Kevin Bieksa, fully recovered from injury.
Bieksa is fully recovered from a lacerated calf sustained on Nov. 1 against Nashville and is looking to bounce back from a disappointing injury-riddled season, the Vancouver Sun reports.
Bieksa broke out during the 2006-07 season with 12 goals and 30 assists, but he struggled last season as he tried to return from injury. He only managed two goals and 10 assists in 34 games as the lacerated calf continued to give him problems after his return. The calf shouldnt be an issue this season. I skated it pretty good in the summer time. I tested it out. I did a lot of different things in my workout program to stress that area, and it held up pretty well. Ive got full confidence in it, no worries, said Bieksa. The Canucks shopped Bieksa during the offseason, but other teams were weary of trading for an injured defenseman. With depth on the blue line, Bieksa could still be traded once he proves his health. Injuries were the main culprit to Bieksas down year, so feel free to reach on him if he looks healthy in training camp.