The Montreal Canadiens have announced that defenseman Victor Mete has been resigned to a one-year deal at an AAV of $735 000.
Montreal Canadiens General Manager Marc Bergevin has kept on with what has continued to be a busy offseason for the organization. Following a massive 7-year deal for the newly acquired forward Josh Anderson, the Montreal Canadiens have announced the resigning of defenseman Victor Mete at a well-below market value contract at a one-year, $735 000 AAV.
In 51 games played in the 2019-20 regular season, Victor Mete went on to record 4 goals and 7 assists for a total of 11 points. Mete also notched 2 assists in the 10 games played during the Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup Qualifiers against the Penguins and their sole playoff round against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Following the acquisition of defenseman Joel Edmundson from the Carolina Hurricanes, and his subsequent extension, there have been talks that Victor Mete may no longer have a place in the Canadiens lineup as it is expected prospect Alexander Romanov will also be joining the team next season. Brett Kulak is also still a part of the roster.
However, an abundance of left-handed defensemen could be just what the organization is in need. Barring their playoff performance which appeared to rectify issues on the blue line, the Montreal Canadiens, more often than not, struggled on defense throughout the year. A creation of internal competition among defensemen could be just what the organization requires as it will push players to elevate their game in a year where the Montreal Canadiens and Marc Bergevin might be in desperate search of a playoff berth.
Victor Mete, as he has shown on multiple occasions, displays fast skating and strong puck-moving abilities. Were he to elevate his offense play and take the next step in his development in yet another contract year, the defenseman could be a mainstay on the Montreal Canadiens for several more years.