No. 4: Victor Mete
With 236 games of NHL experience, the 24-year-old is bound to crack the Toronto Maple Leafs roster if Liljegren and Muzzin aren’t ready to play on opening night.
Mete was a high-end prospect and is currently on his third NHL team in only a few years. Although he’s small, he fits everything that Toronto loves. He’s a great two-way player, who is a wonderful skater and is very quick.
Toronto loves seeing their defensemen move the puck quickly, or skate up the ice and get it out of their zone, so Mete would fit that philosophy, well.
It’s a little surprising that he hasn’t produced good stats in the NHL based on his skating ability, but that could change on a Leafs team that’s very good.
Once Muzzin, Liljegren and maybe Sandin return, Mete would probably be summoned to the AHL, but he’s a professional defenseman that won’t hurt your team if he’s in the line-up. He’s a fine bottom-pairing defenseman and could have offensive upside on this roster, so it’ll be interesting to see how he performs, if he makes the opening night roster.