Montreal Canadiens TPT: Victor Mete in the NHL

In this week’s Twitter Poll Thursday, we ask Montreal Canadiens fans how many NHL games will training camp standout Victor Mete play in this season.

Every year there seems to be a player that stands out among the rest. Usually it’s a regular roster player that had a good summer and is getting ready to hit a new level. Sometimes it’s a young prospect that pushes their way on to the team. For the second year in a row, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves in that situation.

Last season it was Artturi Lehkonen. It started with a strong performance at the Rookie Tournament and extended into the preseason. The 2013 2nd round pick had a great season after making the team. He finished the year off with 18 goals and 10 assists, and will probably eclipse those point totals this season.

Another prospect has pushed the needle to the point where many fans have penciled him in to be on the team, and that is Victor Mete. Unlike Lehkonen, Mete didn’t have a dominate Rookie Tournament performance. That’s not to say that he wasn’t good, but he didn’t do much that weekend for Habs fans to be talking about him as much as they talk about him now.

It started in training camp, and after continuing to impress Claude Julien and the rest of Montreal’s coaching staff, there’s a legitimate chance that Mete makes the team. Mete is only 19 and could  go back to junior for another season with the London Knights.

Has he done enough to make the team out of camp? We asked Canadiens fans on Twitter how many regular season games does Mete play in this year.

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Poll Results

We can break this down in two ways. Firstly, the majority of Habs fans who voted believe that Mete will make the team. Secondly, from the group who think he’ll make it, more feel that he will play more than nine games.

Nine is a magic number when it comes to players on entry-level-contracts. A prospect can play up to that number of games without burning a year off their deal. That’s why some teams keep young players that they want to take a closer look at with the main club and send them down later on.

Has Mete done enough to justify the Montreal Canadiens burning a year off his? Yes, yes he has. In a weird way, it’s sad how better Mete has been than the rest of the defencemen remaining at camp. Brandon Davidson, Joseph Morrow, Mark Streit, and Eric Gelinas are all beneath him at the moment.

Case for Mete to Make the Team

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He’s so unbelievably calm and comfortable out there. Mete works the blue-line well, knows when it’s the right time to jump in the rush, and has made great plays. He’s had primary assists on some of the Habs goals this preseason as well. Mete found Charles Hudon in the slot for his goal against the Washington Capitals, and sent a one-timer pass over to Jeff Petry for his power play goal in Toronto Monday night.

Mete may have initially been the fill-in for David Schlemko on Shea Weber‘s left, but for now it’s his spot to lose. However, I’m not so sure they keep him past the nine-game threshold. Playing an 82 games is a grind, and it will be especially tricky if Mete stays on that top pair.

Training camp will still be going on for Mete even when the regular season starts. If he can handle the strain of playing against the opponent’s best players, then he’ll stay. If he’s seriously struggling, then the Habs will most likely send him down and allow someone else to play with Weber. It’s not the most attractive move, but at that point you have protect your player, and playing him in the NHL full-time when he’s not ready for it is irresponsible.

That being said, Mete sure does look ready for it.

Next: Torrey Mitchell or Jacob de La Rose?

Does Mete make the team? If so, how many games does he play? Let us know what you think in the comments.