From Kevin Allen of USA Today:
While Meszaros has the most potential of anyone included in the deal between Tampa and Ottawa, it’s my assessment that the Senators have spun a bad situation into a good deal for their hockey club.
Unable to re-sign young Meszaros, the Senators pick up a proven defenseman in Filip Kuba, a serviceable defenseman in Alexandre Picard and a first-round draft pick.
The Senators initially wanted to re-sign Meszaros, 22, and give him an expanded role, but he has been inconsistent, and they weren’t convinced he was worthy of the six-year, $24 million deal that the Lightning eventually gave him.
Read the entire entry from Mucking and Grinding here.
Allen brings up good points and is accurate in stating that the Senators did well for themselves. Consider that originally it was believed the team was going to receive a 1st, 2nd and 3rd round pick for Meszaros if they didn’t match Tampa’s offer sheet (although Tampa couldn’t actually offer that the end), instead the Senators received a 1st round pick, Filip Kuba and Alex Picard. That is a solid return for a defenseman they didn’t want to overpay and, maybe more importantly, gives the team cap relief down the road.
