Mesz to Bolts for Kuba, Picard and 1st rounder

Oh thank you Bryan Murray, thank you!

Now don't go getting your panties in a twist... I have read a lot about how Meszaros was supposedly an elite defenceman experiencing an off year. I am sorry, but that is about as insane as Bruce Garrioch calling a trade with any sort of validity until four other creditable outlets have already announced it. Meszaros going to Tampa Bay may be good for the kid, but ultimately he flourished with Chara -- who wouldn't -- and the buck stopped when Chara went to Beantown.

Now, Kuba I have been a fan of for a bit. He's a little grittier and able to gobble up some time and being a little older is set in on his salary range without demanding millions more than what he is actually worth. This, as someone else classified, was an old time hockey trade and I think Ottawa got the upper hand. They not only shipped out someone who was unproven to show progress, but also potential salary problems down the line for a little more solid addition of maturity and even a little youth with Picard coming with the deal. To sweeten the pot we picked up a First round draft pick acquired from San Jose by Tampa...

... Question now remains: do we use it in a bid for a top shelf calibre player to round things off completely or do we roll with a mix of youth and experience? I am leaning toward the latter much more than the former.