Maple Leafs add Victor Mete, Jordie Benn on 1-year deals

The Toronto Maple Leafs shored up their depth on the blue line by inking defensemen Victor Mete and Jordie Benn to matching one-year deals worth $750,000 on Thursday.

Mete, 24, became an unrestricted free agent after the Ottawa Senators decided not to tender him a qualifying offer.

The 5-foot-9 Ontario native logged seven assists in 37 games with the Senators this past season while averaging 14:37 per contest.

Selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, Mete has 43 points in 236 career contests.

Benn, 34, spent the 2021-22 season with the Minnesota Wild, putting up one goal and seven assists in 39 games while playing about 15 minutes a night.

A veteran of 595 NHL games, the 6-foot-2 Benn has also suited up for the Dallas Stars, Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, and Winnipeg Jets, amassing 135 points.

Senators claim Victor Mete off waivers from Canadiens

The Ottawa Senators claimed defenseman Victor Mete off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.

Mete, 22, has only appeared in 14 games with the Canadiens this season, spending the majority of the campaign on the team’s taxi squad. He’s accumulated three assists in 2020-21.

The Senators traded defensemen Mike Reilly and Braydon Coburn to the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders, respectively, on Sunday.

The Canadiens selected Mete with the 100th pick in 2016. He’s amassed four goals and 30 assists in 185 career games.

Bergevin denies report of Mete trade request, agent confirms rumor

Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin denied reports that defenseman Victor Mete has requested a trade despite the player’s agent saying the opposite.

“Not true and not trading him,” Bergevin wrote in a text message to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.

It was reported Saturday that Mete wants out of Montreal. His agent, Darren Ferris, said the request stems from a lack of playing time.

“There isn’t opportunity to get in the lineup,” Ferris said, according to LeBrun. “It’s best for both the player and the team.”

Mete has been a healthy scratch in each of the Canadiens’ eight games this season, failing to crack a stout Montreal blue line after the additions of veteran Joel Edmundson and dynamic rookie Alexander Romanov.

The Habs’ reconstructed defense corps has paid dividends to this point, as the club is 5-1-2 on the year.

Mete, 22, appeared in 51 games for Montreal last season, registering 11 points while averaging 16 minutes per night. He carries a $735,000 cap hit and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the campaign.