Player Discussion Victor Mete

[Archijerej]

Sure, and we should also lend Lehkonen back to a European team for the duration of his entry level contract. He improved the last time, why not do it again!!

Joking aside, this implies that the people who make this decision should be deciding right now to tank for the season. Because you do realize, do you not, that the GM in charge here now probably does not believe that the 1-3 start means that the season is over. He probably thinks that a 2.5% shooting percentage is not going to last and that if we keep getting the share of play we are generating, our goals per game should shoot up to over 3.0 per game. Also, the rate of flukey goals against may end up going down a bit. Or will we continue to have a goal against per game, or more, go off a skate, off a hip, be generated by a bounce off a linesman, or while defending an undeserved penalty? And of course, all the disallowed goals continue to go against the Habs?

Stop polluting the forum with your logical reasoning.

 

[OldCraig71]

Sure, and we should also lend Lehkonen back to a European team for the duration of his entry level contract. He improved the last time, why not do it again!!

Joking aside, this implies that the people who make this decision should be deciding right now to tank for the season. Because you do realize, do you not, that the GM in charge here now probably does not believe that the 1-3 start means that the season is over. He probably thinks that a 2.5% shooting percentage is not going to last and that if we keep getting the share of play we are generating, our goals per game should shoot up to over 3.0 per game. Also, the rate of flukey goals against may end up going down a bit. Or will we continue to have a goal against per game, or more, go off a skate, off a hip, be generated by a bounce off a linesman, or while defending an undeserved penalty? And of course, all the disallowed goals continue to go against the Habs?

 

[OldCraig71]

Sure, and we should also lend Lehkonen back to a European team for the duration of his entry level contract. He improved the last time, why not do it again!!

Joking aside, this implies that the people who make this decision should be deciding right now to tank for the season. Because you do realize, do you not, that the GM in charge here now probably does not believe that the 1-3 start means that the season is over. He probably thinks that a 2.5% shooting percentage is not going to last and that if we keep getting the share of play we are generating, our goals per game should shoot up to over 3.0 per game. Also, the rate of flukey goals against may end up going down a bit. Or will we continue to have a goal against per game, or more, go off a skate, off a hip, be generated by a bounce off a linesman, or while defending an undeserved penalty? And of course, all the disallowed goals continue to go against the Habs?

Said GM also thinks that his defence is better this year than it was last year. It is Bergevins wonderful thought process that has us where we are today.

 

[sergejean]

Sure, and we should also lend Lehkonen back to a European team for the duration of his entry level contract. He improved the last time, why not do it again!!

Joking aside, this implies that the people who make this decision should be deciding right now to tank for the season. Because you do realize, do you not, that the GM in charge here now probably does not believe that the 1-3 start means that the season is over. He probably thinks that a 2.5% shooting percentage is not going to last and that if we keep getting the share of play we are generating, our goals per game should shoot up to over 3.0 per game. Also, the rate of flukey goals against may end up going down a bit. Or will we continue to have a goal against per game, or more, go off a skate, off a hip, be generated by a bounce off a linesman, or while defending an undeserved penalty? And of course, all the disallowed goals continue to go against the Habs?

To be honest, tanking for the next three seasons would be the fastest way to make a contender out of this team.

 

[417]

Difficult to be positive about very much if you're a Habs fan, and if you are, just log on here and any positivity WILL be sucked out of you...

But Victor Mete is impressive, his composure/poise is really something else. Looking forward to what he can do when he's got more experience.

 

[smcgreg]

Difficult to be positive about very much if you're a Habs fan, and if you are, just log on here and any positivity WILL be sucked out of you...

But Victor Mete is impressive, his composure/poise is really something else. Looking forward to what he can do when he's got more experience.

Boy, it would be nice if some people had some perspective. I'm still not happy about what MB did in the off-season, but Mete is friggin awesome. There is no way he should go back and I can't imagine he will. As NHL defensemen go, he's good, so, what is he going to learn/gain by playing juniors for another year. Absolutely nothing. Plus, Weber is always so far behind the play, he can give Mete a birds eye view of how to improve his game and potentially prolong Weber's career by another 5 years. I can't imagine another D man stepping in for Mete and being as effective in that position right now.

I haven't been able to watch all of the games due to crap coverage in the states, but I watched last night and Price looked bad, as he has in other games. The OT line selection was a bit of a head scratcher, but I understand the thought process. Pleks shouldn't have been out there, but I have no problem with Byron and Weber. The point is, the Habs scored 3 and held the most potent offense in the league to 3 with a goalie who was average, or worse. That's not a bad team, they just need better goal tending. I'm not sure what CP's issue is, but hopefully they figure it out.

Comparing to the past few years, the hot starts have been due to unsustainable shooting percentages for the most part and world class goal tending to some extent. Those have masked early season issues and given false comfort. The end of season result was not satisfying, so, I'll take a slow start that identifies the weaknesses and keeps everyone on their toes if it ends up in a more satisfying end of season result.

 

[Scriptor]

Boy, it would be nice if some people had some perspective. I'm still not happy about what MB did in the off-season, but Mete is friggin awesome. There is no way he should go back and I can't imagine he will. As NHL defensemen go, he's good, so, what is he going to learn/gain by playing juniors for another year. Absolutely nothing. Plus, Weber is always so far behind the play, he can give Mete a birds eye view of how to improve his game and potentially prolong Weber's career by another 5 years. I can't imagine another D man stepping in for Mete and being as effective in that position right now.

I haven't been able to watch all of the games due to crap coverage in the states, but I watched last night and Price looked bad, as he has in other games. The OT line selection was a bit of a head scratcher, but I understand the thought process. Pleks shouldn't have been out there, but I have no problem with Byron and Weber. The point is, the Habs scored 3 and held the most potent offense in the league to 3 with a goalie who was average, or worse. That's not a bad team, they just need better goal tending. I'm not sure what CP's issue is, but hopefully they figure it out.

Comparing to the past few years, the hot starts have been due to unsustainable shooting percentages for the most part and world class goal tending to some extent. Those have masked early season issues and given false comfort. The end of season result was not satisfying, so, I'll take a slow start that identifies the weaknesses and keeps everyone on their toes if it ends up in a more satisfying end of season result.

I said as much when we were down 1-3, before the TOR match-up. Identifying the weaknesses early will give us a chance to ramp things up by playoff time, provided we find the tools within the organization and/or that Bergevin adds the right piece(s) to the roster during this season...

 

[beowulf]

Overall I have liked his play, he shows at times that he is only 19 and on the smaller side. My worry is ruining his development by pressing him into the NHL before he should be. I am not totally sold that he should be with the big club beyond the 9 game limit. Then again do they have anyone who could replace him?

 

[sandviper]

Still waiting for Mete (and the rest of the team) to turn up the offense. It’s pretty clear that despite some mistakes, he is still right up there as one of our top defensemen so far this season.

For all the face palm moves this management team has done, if they choose to return Mete to juniors, that may top the list given our current list of LD options, let alone defense options to begin with.

 

[Habs100]

Still waiting for Mete (and the rest of the team) to turn up the offense. It’s pretty clear that despite some mistakes, he is still right up there as one of our top defensemen so far this season.

For all the face palm moves this management team has done, if they choose to return Mete to juniors, that may top the list given our current list of LD options, let alone defense options to begin with.

I agree with you, except for the fact that the season is lost. By not re-signing Radulov and Markov and not finding suitable replacements (and worsening the dcore) , we're not cup contenders and probably not a playoff team. And, it can't hurt Mete's long term development to go back to junior, play 35 minutes a night, and then play in the world juniors.

 

[ottawa]

Not a fan of having a defenseman playing in the NHL at 19 but he's making it hard to send him down, especially down to the OHL.

Ideally he'd be in the AHL but we all know that can't happen. SHL would be nice.

 

[Video Coach]

This kid continues to impress. Absolutely no hesitation in his game. He makes decisions so fast and executes very well. Even though he can do a lot I find most of the times he's just making the simple play, but making it very quickly.

I see defensemen look off the first pass all the time. They see the 8 ft pass right away but hang onto it and look for a better, longer pass and that hesitation often costs them (Tinordi, Beaulieu, Benn). Mete just makes that pass right away and the result is the play transitions much quicker and easier. Don't know what the numbers say but he seems to be pretty good with zone exits and turnovers at least compared to the rest of the d. He also has a dynamic offensive element to his game that I believe will begin to come out more as the team learns what he can do.

Yes, he is small and needs to continue to improve his defensive game. He'll get physically overmatched at times and show inexperience at times. But I do think Weber is a great partner for him, not just for what he can do to help Weber but obviously the other way as well.

So excited to finally have a nice surprise with a young player. Even better that the coach is using him.

Stop with the negativity around him, this kid is 19 and fantastic, and he plays for the Montreal Canadiens!

 

[Uncle Gary]

London is going to be terrible this year. That also makes it easier to keep him up IMO.

 

[ColinO]

I think Mete should stay. To me, the problem with bringing kids up when they are too young happens when they are almost NHLers. They impress and look like if they can just get a few things together then they will be fine playing in the NHL. That's a bad idea. That player should be sent down.
Mete already looks like an NHLer. He has the skills and IQ and looks completely at home. He does not need to develop the skills to be an NHL quality defenceman. He already is one.
I think he is at the point where he can develop more by playing in the NHL than he will by playing in the O. In fact, sending him down has the potential to hurt his development if they are not careful.

 

[Souffle]

I agree with you, except for the fact that the season is lost. By not re-signing Radulov and Markov and not finding suitable replacements (and worsening the dcore) , we're not cup contenders and probably not a playoff team. And, it can't hurt Mete's long term development to go back to junior, play 35 minutes a night, and then play in the world juniors.

Not sure about that. He's been pretty good overall so far. He looks like an NHL defenceman. Playing with Weber and in all situations is probably a lot better for his development than playing in Junior.

If he was struggling and sheltered, then it's an obvious case. But he's getting minutes and slowly growing into his game -- he's starting to make some offensive reads. I don't see a strong case to send him back based on his play.

About this being a lost season, not sure that's true yet, but let's assume it is. What does that have to do with him staying in the NHL? Sorry, our team is bad, so you have to go back to Junior. I don't get it.

 

[bobbythebrain]

He looked fantastic last night at 22min TOI

Made good defensive plays all night

Made one nice pinch when Patches found him in the slot. Made several others all night also however the forwards were clueless

They need to start making this a gameplan, cuz several times he put himself in great position

 

[Andrei79]

He looked fantastic last night at 22min TOI

Made good defensive plays all night

Made one nice pinch when Patches found him in the slot. Made several others all night also however the forwards were clueless

They need to start making this a gameplan, cuz several times he put himself in great position

Absolutely.

Didn't think he would look like Markov's heir apparent. Tought it would be Sergachev, but he doesn't have Mete's hockey IQ.

Just to be clear, I'm not expecting Mete to replace Markov, or even play at his level. I mean it in the sense that he's a smart player making difficult plays look easy.

 

[jaffy27]

Said GM also thinks that his defence is better this year than it was last year. It is Bergevins wonderful thought process that has us where we are today.

Honestly though, Bergevin has to say that. He can't come into the golf tournament telling everyone that his defence is worse. Deep down, he knows that his defence core has taken a dip

Little silver lining is Mete

 

[NHLFutureGuy3]

Honestly though, Bergevin has to say that. He can't come into the golf tournament telling everyone that his defence is worse. Deep down, he knows that his defence core has taken a dip

Little silver lining is Mete

He doesn't have to flat out lie and say his defence is better. He should realize that his fanbase is smarter than that and it's just going to piss us off. He could just be diplomatic and use an old hockey cliche like "No one could replace a guy like Markov but other players will have to step up. I like the new energy of our defence corps". You know, answer the question without answering the question. The dumb fans fall for it and the smart fans will understand what he really means and that the defence crops is worse. That's politics.

 

[TheGoalJudge]

Seems like he's fine physically so far. Not really taking any big hits. Mentally he's clearly an NHLer so there's no point sending him down.

 

[OldCraig71]

Honestly though, Bergevin has to say that. He can't come into the golf tournament telling everyone that his defence is worse. Deep down, he knows that his defence core has taken a dip

Little silver lining is Mete

I am glad that he did say it because at least this time around it is definitely "on him" and hopefully this time around he cannot trade or fire another individual for his mistakes and although Mete is a silver lining, it also shows that there was no real plan, he had no way of knowing that a 19 year old could step in and play like he has, Bergevin has/had no plan and I hope that this season is his last, time for us to move on from him.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

He doesn't have to flat out lie and say his defence is better. He should realize that his fanbase is smarter than that and it's just going to piss us off. He could just be diplomatic and use an old hockey cliche like "No one could replace a guy like Markov but other players will have to step up. I like the new energy of our defence corps". You know, answer the question without answering the question. The dumb fans fall for it and the smart fans will understand what he really means and that the defence crops is worse. That's politics.

He doesn't really have any other choice. He fired Therrien, the next in line who's going to feel the heat isn't the second coach under his duration, it's him -- the guy who built this team and is seeing it decline before his eyes because of his moves.

His ego won't let him say anything other than he believes the defense is better than last year.

 

[JianYang]

Watching the leafs game, it seems like mete is earning alot of trust from Julien. Some of that may be occurring by default with how bad Benn has looked, but mete actually looks like he belongs, and he's been actually trending upwards as he gets more action.

The only reason I can see him being sent down at this point is if they want him to mature more physically because I don't see a player who will learn a whole lot more by going down.

Some of you bring up the team is bad, so no point of keeping him. That might be true but I don't think they will reach such a conclusion by the 10 game mark.

Other might say that schlemko and jerabek can come in and do some of the things mete is doing, but I say that they need more d-men who can make plays with the puck and less of the benns and davidsons.

 

[OldCraig71]

Mete does not look like a rookie, I was very impressed with him last night, always making the smart play, I keep waiting for him to look like Sergachyev did last year but he never does, he is a very good young player, hard not to be impressed with him.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Mete should pretty obviously stay. Given his play it would be pretty f***in confusing to him to be sent down.