Andrej Meszároš

Andrej Meszároš (born 13 October 1985) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played parts of eleven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, and Buffalo Sabres. 

Career
Before playing in the NHL, Meszároš played two seasons with Dukla Trenčín of the Slovak Extraliga. Through two seasons, he scored 67 goals and 4 assists.

He was drafted 23rd overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2004 NHL entry draft. 

He decided to play for the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He played a season with them. During his time in Vancouver, Meszároš was named fifth in rookie scoring with 41 points. He was also named to the Western Conference's Second All-Star Team and the Giants named him their Rookie of the Year and Top Defenceman. On December 27, 2010, he was inducted into the Vancouver Giants' Ring of Honour.

On 5 October 2005, Meszároš made his NHL debut in a 3-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. On 10 October, he recorded his first point in the NHL, assisting on a Jason Spezza goal in a 6–5 shootout win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. On 9 December, Meszároš scored his first NHL goal. It was a game-tying goal but the Senators lost to the Vancouver Canucks in a shootout. He played well in his rookie season and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. The next year, he helped the team make it to their first ever Stanley Cup Finals. The team went on to lose against the Anaheim Ducks four games to one. 

On 29 August, the Senators traded Meszároš to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Filip Kuba, Alexandre Picard and a first-round draft pick. He signed a six-year, $24 million contract with the Lightning the next day. He played two seasons with the team.

On 1 July 2010, the Lightning traded Meszároš to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2012 second round pick. During his time with the Flyers, he was awarded the Barry Ashbee Trophy for being named the best defenceman on the team.

On 5 March 2014, the Flyers traded Meszároš to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2014 third-round draft pick. He played in 14 games for them, scoring 2 goals and recording 3 assists.

On 1 July 2014, Meszároš signed a one-year, $4 million contract to play for the Buffalo Sabres. He played in 60 games for them, scoring 7goals and recording 7 assists.

On 30 October 2015, Meszároš signed with Sibir Novosibirsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

References

 Other websites 

Category:1985 births
Category:Living people
Category:Boston Bruins players
Category:Buffalo Sabres players
Category:Ottawa Senators players
Category:Philadelphia Flyers players
Category:Slovak ice hockey defencemen
Category:Tampa Bay Lightning players
Category:Vancouver Giants players