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Looking Ahead: Victor Mete

August 18, 2019, 2:22 PM ET [383 Comments]
Karine Hains
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Drafted in the 4th round and 100th overall at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Victor Mete wasn't meant to start the 2017-2018 season in the NHL but he did. He showed up at camp, worked darn hard and earned a spot. Of course, the fact that the Habs had just lost two of their regular defensemen in Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin helped but if he didn't impress the coaches, he would have been sent down regardless. It started with people wondering if he'd stick around longer than the 8 games needed to burn his first contract year, then we all wondered if he'd go to the World Junior Championships around Christmas and then if he'd come back to the big club after. In the end, he stuck around all year until he sustained a fractured finger than cut his season short, meaning he played 49 games in his first year and got himself 7 assists.

Last season, he earned his place again and played 71 games in the NHL and 7 with the Rocket in the AHL. While he generally had a good year, he looked like his confidence was shaken at one point and that's when he was sent down to Laval to work with Joel Bouchard and co. for a bit and it did him wonders. He came back into the fold and didn't look out of place at all, finishing the season with 13 points. In his first year, he averaged 15:35 of time on ice a number that went up over 2 minutes in his second season with 17:46 and all signs point to that number going up again this season.

The Canadiens didn't make any big moves to get help on the blue line this off season, they did sign Ben Chiarot but he's definitely not a guy who will be called upon to play alongside Shea Weber. Therefore, it looks like Mete will once again be Shea Weber's partner this season and that comes with a lot of minutes and responsibilities. While Mete earned 0.60 points per game throughout his tenure in the OHL, his offensive output is nowhere near as important in the NHL so far, where he gets 0.17 points per game. That being said, he's still very young, especially for a blueliner and at just 21 years old, the best is still to come.

This is probably the easiest prediction to make, but I strongly believe that Mete will be having his best season yet and at the risk of stating the obvious, he will be scoring his first career goal! I truly hope this happens during a home game as I imagine that the crowd will celebrate that one big time. Right now, there isn't much competition on the left side but soon enough, Romanov, Leskinen, Norlinder and co. will be knocking on the Habs' door and by that time, I hope for Mete that he's reached his full potential.

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