The Toronto Maple Leafs added a pair of depth blueliners and inked them to NHL-minimum contracts.
Jordie Benn and Victor Mete are the newest members of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Both players signed one-year, $750,000 contracts on Thursday.
The 34-year Benn had one goal and eight points in 39 games with the Minnesota Wild during the 2021-22 season. The Victoria, BC native has skated in 595 career regular season games split between Minnesota, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Montréal and Dallas and posted 25 goals and 135 points.
Benn is coming off a contract that paid him $900,000 on an average annual value.
The 24-year-old Mete became an unrestricted free agent on Monday when the Ottawa Senators elected not to tender Mete a qualifying offer. He had seven assists in 37 games last season.
Mete was originally selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the fourth round (100th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft.
These are low-risk acquisitions for the Maple Leafs. Benn could provide some grit should he somehow make the roster. Mete is a puck-mover who could challenge for a bottom-pair spot if he has a good showing out of camp.
What both players also have is NHL playoffs experience. Mete dressed in 10 playoff games with the Canadiens during their run to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. He recorded two assists.
Benn has 23 games of playoff experience spread over five different seasons. He has four assists in that span.