If the Montreal Canadiens are going to make a last second dash for a playoff spot, it’ll have to be without one of their young defensemen. Victor Mete has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken foot. The injury was suffered on Februrary 18th against the Detroit Red Wings.
Mete, 21, finally scored his first (second, third and fourth) NHL goal this season, but still hasn’t quite established himself as the reliable top-four option that many believed he would quickly become. Averaging just 16 minutes a night for the Canadiens, he’s been more of a role player than an impact one in most games.
Still, there are high hopes for the future and Mete now enters his first contract negotiation with 171 NHL games under his belt. The young defenseman is a restricted free agent without arbitration rights at the end of the season and will likely argue he deserves quite the raise.
Just where exactly he fits into next year’s plans are unclear, especially with the Canadiens expected to bring Alexander Romanov over from the KHL. The two play very different games but could compete for minutes depending on how things shake out over the summer.
Small correction Gavin, the injury occurred on February 18.
What in the heck. Why would I write December.