Leafs sign a pair of defensemen; Is this the setup for a significant trade?
There was a time when Montreal Canadiens fans thought they had a future top pairing defenseman in Victor Mete. Evidently the organization did too, rushing the 100th overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft into the league long before he was ready. Mete was highly touted just 1 year after being drafted, but the notoriously bad Habs development program at the time fumbled another one.
Last season, Mete was claimed off waivers by the Ottawa Senators during the 2020-21 season and wasn't qualified by the Sens this off season. Mete became a UFA on July 13th. Now, he's a Toronto Maple Leaf.
The Leafs clearly see some potential in Mete, even if it ends up being at the AHL level. It's another low risk, high reward signing from Kyle Dubas. If Mete can find his potential, the Leafs will have a solid player at a bargain. If not, they can send him down or put him on waivers. Either way, the cap hit is easily buriable.
***Update***
During the writing of the first few paragraphs of this piece, the Leafs announced another signing on the blueline in the form of 34-year-old Jordie Benn on a 1-year, $750K deal. Benn is a nasty stay at home blueliner who certainly isn't one to be pushed around - not unlike his younger brother and Dallas Stars captain, Jamie Benn.
Both Mete and Benn are left shot defenders, though Mete does have some experience playing on the right side. There's a chance that one or both of these signings have occurred to allow the Leafs to move one of Jake Muzzin or Justin Holl in an attempt to clear some cap space and potentially make room on the roster for 22-year-old Rasmus Sandin. The other possibility is that one or both were brought in to fill roles for the AHL's Toronto Marlies, who are dealing with the departures of Chad Krys, Joseph Duszak and Kristians Rubins.
Dubas is showing signs of life on Thursday evening. Stay tuned folks, there may be more to come shortly.
