Signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer, Mete’s early play at camp and a depleted defense may open the door for the Woodbridge, Ontario native to get the nod.
When Victor Mete found out the Toronto Maple Leafs were interested in signing him, he had a feeling his ability to play on both the left and right might come in handy.
“I’ve done it pretty much my entire NHL career,” he said. “I’m kind of comfortable with it.”
Signed to a one-year, minimum contract on July 14, initial projections had the Woodbridge, Ontario native slotted in as a scratch/depth player.
But with a Maple Leafs defense corpts currently without the right-handed Timothy Liljegren (out until mid-November after hernia surgery) and Jake Muzzin (day-to-day with back discomfort) and 22-year-old Rasmus Sandin still unsigned, the left-shot Mete could find himself called upon when the club opens the season on Oct. 12 against his former club, the Montreal Canadiens.
“Looking at the lineup I figure if I can maybe make a spot, whether it’s on the left side or right side, it gives me options,” Mete said.
The 24-year-old signed with the Maple Leafs on the same day that veteran d-man Jordie Benn made an identical commitment with the club. Both players are left shots that have skated on the right side before. Both have been utilized in that spot in the early part of training camp, but Mete has gotten more reps in the spot, including on Saturday night when he skated on the right side of Benn in the night cap of a day-night doubleheader.
“What I like about Mete is he uses his feet to get himself out of trouble,” Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “The times he was in bad spots where he used his feet to get us into a good space and keep the play alive or use his feet to kill a play.”
Playing on the opposite side of the ice could put a player like Mete into difficult spots at times and his ability to recover by using his feet could help him gain the trust of Keefe in the situation where there could conceivably be five left-shot defensemen in the lineup.
“When you are on your off side you end up getting in trouble more frequently than most,” Keefe added.
Although Maple Leafs coach has given left-handed defensemen like Benn, Mete and Carl Dahlstrom some reps on the right side, what might give Mete the early lead in the race for a depth spot is his quick transition game that suits the Maple Leafs well.
During the first practice session last week, Keefe had all of his players take a turn on power play drills and he was impressed with the Mete’s ability to distribute the puck. Keefe didn’t envision putting him into that spot, but it certainly gave him some pause.
There is also Mete’s established chemistry with star forward Mitch Marner. Both Marner and Mete grew up in nearby neighbourhoods in Toronto and the two players were teammates together in Junior with the London Knights.
“Our playing style is to have everybody join in on the rush and make plays on it,” Marner said. “With his smooth skating and his quickness he can make plays going into that rush.
“I think his role will fit ours nicely.”
Mete is another player that is taking a bet on himself. He was limited to just 37 games with the Ottawa Senators last season where he registered just seven assists. He was regularly a healthy scratch and also found himself on COVID-19 protocol.
The Senators didn’t tender the 5-foot-9 defenseman a qualifying offer this summer and Toronto took advantage of that to buy low on younger talent like Mete and other players like Ilya Samsonov and Adam Gaudette just to name a few.
But now the 24-year-old Mete hopes that home is where he’ll find some long-term success. He is currently living with family in Kleinburg, Ontario, which is where he has been commuting from since he signed with the Leafs. That’s also where his first Leafs jersey is, a No. 89 Alexander Mogilny sweater given to him by his father Joseph, who is also a big Leafs fan.
Should he make the team, Mete’s plan is to find a place in the city. If he doesn’t make the squad, he’s eligible to be claimed off waivers. Given that happened to him once before when Ottawa claimed him from Montreal on April 12, 2021, it’s understandable that he has to wait and see how things play out.
But given how it looks right now, he could very well be in line to stick around and see some action with the Leafs sooner rather than later.