The 50 Greatest Ottawa Senators Of All-Time: #30 – #21
By Jack Leiper
29. Andrej Meszaros
Stats: 246GP, 26G, 110P
Height/Weight: 6foot2, 223lbs
Acquired: 2004 NHL Entry Draft (23rd overall)
When Andrej Meszaros played in Ottawa, he looked like one of the NHL’s best up-and-coming defenders.
He managed to crack the Senators’ roster as a 20-year-old and as a rookie he posted 10 goals and 39 points. That was enough for Meszaros to finish 7th in Calder voting in a year which featured a rookie class of Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Dion Phaneuf, Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Miller, and Brad Boyes.
Safe to say, Meszaros was among elite company in his early years.
It was after contract negotiations spoiled that the Senators decided to ship Meszaros to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for defender Filip Kuba. It would end up being the right move for the Senators who moved on from Meszaros and gained Kuba, a prime defensive partner for Erik Karlsson.
He’s made himself a good career. It wasn’t as grand as some would have expected, as Meszaros has travelled around since his days in Ottawa. After making some big bucks in Philadelphia, moves to Boston and Buffalo have forced Meszaros into unrestricted free agency as he currently looks for a deal.
Why is Meszaros so high on the list? Well.. he really was something special in his early years. He seemed like a former first rounder who had panned out and was ready to make himself a successful NHL careeer. He was a big body, and a mobile one. The tools were there and so were the expectations. It didn’t end up working out in the long-run, but Meszaros had some nice seasons as a young Senator.