Player Discussion Victor Mete: Part II

[HabsMD97]

What Mete is doing is impressive considering he was drafted in the 4th round. How many D drafted that late play in the NHL at 19 and 20? It demonstrates that he has a lot of room to grow. He most definitely can become a #2 or 3, his offensive instincts are there. They're gonna get better with more experience and the finish will develop as well. People talk about Mete as if he's done developing and won't improve any single aspect of his game. I bet its the same people who said "galchenyuk is still so young(when traded to Arizona) he's gonna get better"

 

[ahmedou]

What Mete is doing is impressive considering he was drafted in the 4th round. How many D drafted that late play in the NHL at 19 and 20? It demonstrates that he has a lot of room to grow. He most definitely can become a #2 or 3, his offensive instincts are there. They're gonna get better with more experience and the finish will develop as well. People talk about Mete as if he's done developing and won't improve any single aspect of his game.

All of a sudden, get thrown it into this big league. It's not a reward. Because the NHL isn't an development league. He wasted the better option which was to remain in the OHL. Or even being back there after the 2018's World Juniors. Then moving to the AHL straight away in the 2018's preseason.

 

[tazsub3]

I think he will become a very solid top pairing, puck moving dmen with good d . Though I might be naive in not thinking like many here that d men peak at 20 !!!!

 

[ahmedou]

I think he will become a very solid top pairing, puck moving dmen with good d. Though I might be naive in not thinking like many here that d men peak at 20 !!!!

A Top 4 tho.

 

[ECWHSWI]

I think he will become a very solid top pairing, puck moving dmen with good d . Though I might be naive in not thinking like many here that d men peak at 20 !!!!

doubt many are saying this, if any.

making stuff up now ?

 

[tazsub3]

doubt many are saying this, if any.

making stuff up now ?

do you research, many know it all over here are adamant we have seen the best of him, and have labeled him as 3rd pairing guy.

 

[tazsub3]

A Top 4 tho.

Cant argue with that. I guess top 4 would be a success in development, a top pairing like i said would be a top result.
The best part this year, and in my opinion our biggest success, is that every regular D improved a lot through the year,.
I am not say they all became or will become stars, but they all ended better players then they started.Even Benn with his limited talent.

 

[Scriptor]

do you research, many know it all over here are adamant we have seen the best of him, and have labeled him as 3rd pairing guy.

Mete would make a great 3rd pairing D, but he has the upside of a 2nd pairing D, for sure. Only, I'd want a better D than him as a 2nd pairing D or, minimally, as his 2nd pairing partner.

 

[TT1]

He's clearly an NHLer but I still don't think with this team at least that we could ever contend for a cup or be a top team if he's on our top pairing and producing so little. He did take a step forward this year and he's still so young that there's no reason why over the next several years he can't take several steps forward.

You look at Kulak who put up a solid .3 ppg which over 82 is 24 pts, if he could get around that number, which I think he can in time then that would bode well for him and us. Mete had a .18 ppg this year after getting a .14 last year and had the same TOI as Kulak (though I can't say about PP since I didn't see enough games and I don't feel like looking it up)

they played vs vastly different competition tho

the fact that Mete (at 20) is facing top-end forwards is impressive in itself

 

[ECWHSWI]

do you research, many know it all over here are adamant we have seen the best of him, and have labeled him as 3rd pairing guy.

ok... you're already going from "everybody here think D peak at 20" to "people here think this particular individual is peaking... ??

you're just like the other lovers, since it's done under MB regime you think they will all pan out and becore extraordinary.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Love Mete. He's crafty and elusive and quick, sorta like Petr Svoboda but better. I can't even remember him ever making a bad play and don't even subscribe to this idea that he got better after going to Laval, as he was always good. He's welcome on my first pairing anytime.

Mete / Weber is a very effective pairing.

 

[26Mats]

Mete / Weber is a very effective pairing.

Yeah I'd almost prioritize adding a LD to solidify the 2nd pair with Petry. Then Kulak can move back to the 3rd pair, his proper seat.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Yeah I'd almost prioritize adding a LD to solidify the 2nd pair with Petry. Then Kulak can move back to the 3rd pair, his proper seat.

I doubt we will be able to find a LD who provided better value than what Kulak provided for us when he was put in a top 4D role in the last 1/3 of the season. Look at where he ranked on our team in the last 30 games on our team (see below). He was very good for us. I'm game for trying to find someone better but I think Edler for 2 or 3 years is the only good fit I see. This gives us a bridge for when Romanov will be ready

However, I'm not desperate to make a trade for the LD. If you don't believe that Kulak can play like this for a full season, then it's fair to go get a LD. But there is lots to like with Kulak and he is 25 and has seemed to figure things out. He's heading in his prime years.

 

[Hostile Offer]

I doubt we will be able to find a LD who provided better value than what Kulak provided for us when he was put in a top 4D role in the last 1/3 of the season. Look at where he ranked on our team in the last 30 games on our team (see below). He was very good for us. I'm game for trying to find someone better but I think Edler for 2 or 3 years is the only good fit I see. This gives us a bridge for when Romanov will be ready

However, I'm not desperate to make a trade for the LD. If you don't believe that Kulak can play like this for a full season, then it's fair to go get a LD. But there is lots to like with Kulak and he is 25 and has seemed to figure things out. He's heading in his prime years.

Points don't always tell the whole story... Kulak was badly exposed at times in his own zone. Mete can hold his own out there, Kulak can't and if we want to have a truly competitive D core, we absolutely need to get an left side upgrade on our top 4. As you mentioned Edler, yes he could be a solid stop gap for a few years but I'm not sure if he's leaving Vancouver.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Points don't always tell the whole story... Kulak was badly exposed at times in his own zone. Mete can hold his own out there, Kulak can't and if we want to have a truly competitive D core, we absolutely need to get an left side upgrade on our top 4. As you mentioned Edler, yes he could be a solid stop gap for a few years but I'm not sure if he's leaving Vancouver.

Nope. Kulak was very effective in the last 1/3 of the season playing with Petry. You can get picky all you want but that means you need to be equally picky towards Weber, Petry, and Mete. Kulak deserves respect on how he played in the last 30 games of the season. I'm not the one just looking at points. I showed you more than just points... go look again

- Same amount of production as Petry (with pretty much no PP time)
- Same amount of GWG as Weber
- Similar shot totals and shooting % as Petry
- Best +/- off all our D man. If he was exposed, Petry would also be exposed in the +/- department in that 30 game sample size where we were pushing for a playoff spot.

If we can sign Edler for 2 years at $6M AAV, I consider this a value contract and I'd be OK to move Kulak to bottom pairing with Juulsen. But if we can't sign Edler, I'm not forcing another deal like Alzner. Stick with Kulak, he deserves a full time top 4D shot with Petry

Issue is not D, it's goal scoring power up front.

 

[Hostile Offer]

Nope. Kulak was very effective in the last 1/3 of the season playing with Petry. You can get picky all you want but that means you need to be equally picky towards Weber, Petry, and Mete. Kulak deserves respect on how he played in the last 30 games of the season. I'm not the one just looking at points. I showed you more than just points... go look again

- Same amount of production as Petry (with pretty much no PP time)
- Same amount of GWG as Weber
- Similar shot totals and shooting % as Petry
- Best +/- off all our D man. If he was exposed, Petry would also be exposed in the +/- department in that 30 game sample size where we were pushing for a playoff spot.

If we can sign Edler for 2 years at $6M AAV, I consider this a value contract and I'd be OK to move Kulak to bottom pairing with Juulsen. But if we can't sign Edler, I'm not forcing another deal like Alzner. Stick with Kulak, he deserves a full time top 4D shot with Petry

Issue is not D, it's goal scoring power up front.

But, none of those stats show how he fared defensively. Very few accurately do, actually.

 

[Habs Halifax]

But, none of those stats show how he fared defensively. Very few accurately do, actually.

If he was exposed defensively, his +/- stats would show it to some degree and it would not be the highest in that 30 game span. Sorry, Kulak was very good for us down the stretch. Plus my eye test is different than yours. Anything you can point out towards Kulak is being very picky and has to be applied equally to Weber, Petry, and Mete in our top 4D.

If he was exposed defensively down the stretch, Julien would of tried something different like he did with Reilly who was clearly exposed defensibly.

- Reilly / Petry (Nov 1st - Feb 1st): Reilly was -4 and Petry was -7
- Kulak / Petry (Feb 1 - end of Season): Kulak was +5 and Petry was +3

For the first time in a very long time Petry was a + player playing with Kulak vs Beaulieu, Alzner, Schlemko, Reilly, etc.

 

[ahmedou]

Mete / Weber is a very effective pairing.

I'd try an Mete/Petry pairing.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I'd try an Mete/Petry pairing.

I rather stick with what works. Mete and Weber are very good together. Kulak played very well when he was moved up to play with Petry in the last few months. Not sure exactly when this happened. Anybody remember when Kulak took Reilly's spot?

I'd try to sign Edler to a 2 year term at $6M AAV. If that don't work, I'd go with this.

Mete / Weber
Kulak / Petry
Benn / Juulsen
Folin, Reilly

If Edler does sign...

Mete / Weber
Edler / Petry
Kulak / Juulsen
Folin, Reilly

 

[Scriptor]

Mete / Weber is a very effective pairing.

Not really. It's a decently effective defensive pairing, despite Mete,s lack of size, but it's not a great offensive pairing at even strength. For that, though, I blame how Julien exploits this pairing. They are rarely used with the most offensive players at even strength and that's something that has bothered me since Julien has arrived.

The head coach rarely stacks his offensive players D and F, together on the ice at even strength. That appears to be a wasted opportunity for me, especially with O-zone starts.

 

[Hostile Offer]

If he was exposed defensively, his +/- stats would show it to some degree and it would not be the highest in that 30 game span. Sorry, Kulak was very good for us down the stretch. Plus my eye test is different than yours. Anything you can point out towards Kulak is being very picky and has to be applied equally to Weber, Petry, and Mete in our top 4D.

If he was exposed defensively down the stretch, Julien would of tried something different like he did with Reilly who was clearly exposed defensibly.

- Reilly / Petry (Nov 1st - Feb 1st): Reilly was -4 and Petry was -7
- Kulak / Petry (Feb 1 - end of Season): Kulak was +5 and Petry was +3

For the first time in a very long time Petry was a + player playing with Kulak vs Beaulieu, Alzner, Schlemko, Reilly, etc.

Plus/minus is an poor stat for assessing a player's individual level of play. Don't get me wrong, Kulak has some good qualities in him and in the end he outplayed the rest of our LHD, barring Mete, but he shouldn't be trusted to deliver in a top 4 role for an extensive period of time. Kulak also wasn't exclusively paired with Petry during that time span. Either way, as this thread is supposed to be for Mete, we are getting carried away.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Plus/minus is an poor stat for assessing a player's individual level of play. Don't get me wrong, Kulak has some good qualities in him and in the end he outplayed the rest of our LHD, barring Mete, but he shouldn't be trusted to deliver in a top 4 role for an extensive period of time. Kulak also wasn't exclusively paired with Petry during that time span. Either way, as this thread is supposed to be for Mete, we are getting carried away.

I showed you how the +/- applies to who Petry is paired with. It's logical but you can think +/- means nothing and wonder why the NHL tracks this stat. If Kulak was exposed in the last 1/3 of the season like you say he is, Julien would of tried a different option with Petry like he did when Reilly was replaced with Kulak.

What is your comment about Petry being a + player playing with Kulak in the last 30 games and how this compares to Petry's - ratings he has over his career with the Habs? Beaulieu, Schlemko, Alzner, Reilly, etc.

No disrespect but I think you need to look deeper into it. Kulak is not getting the respect he deserves.

 

[Scriptor]

I rather stick with what works. Mete and Weber are very good together. Kulak played very well when he was moved up to play with Petry in the last few months. Not sure exactly when this happened. Anybody remember when Kulak took Reilly's spot?

I'd try to sign Edler to a 2 year term at $6M AAV. If that don't work, I'd go with this.

Mete / Weber
Kulak / Petry
Benn / Juulsen
Folin, Reilly

If Edler does sign...

Mete / Weber
Edler / Petry
Kulak / Juulsen
Folin, Reilly

If Edler signs, you definitely have it right.

Without Edler, you have to go with the players at hand as you have done and, by default, Mete-Weber remains as a pairing and the Kulak-Petry pairing is actually a good pairing. However, playing Benn as a LD is not a good idea, even if he is a left shot. He's much worse, strangely enough, on his natural side. Benn, for all intents and purposes, should be considered a RD.

I would not be happy going again with a

Mete / Weber
Kulak / Petry
Benn / Juulsen

D-Corps alignment.

For argument's sake (I don't actually like Gardiner), if Bergevin signed Gardiner as an UFA, my D-Corps alignment would be:

Gardiner - Weber
Kulak - Petry
Mete - Juulsen

even if Gardiner should be a 2nd pairing D and not a 1st pairing D and even of Mete can conceivably aspire to be a 2nd pairing D. In this instance, it would really be a question of better complementary pieces playing together.

I like the chemistry/complementarity between Kulak and Petry, as I do the one between Mete and Juulsen. Gardiner's Petry-like style would be best protected by a pairing partner like weber who could give Gardiner more range with his transition game.

Much stronger D, overall, than throughout this season, IMO, but far from what I would still like to see. gardiner is an example and not the answer.

 

[Habs Halifax]

If Edler signs, you definitely have it right.

Without Edler, you have to go with the players at hand as you have done and, by default, Mete-Weber remains as a pairing and the Kulak-Petry pairing is actually a good pairing. However, playing Benn as a LD is not a good idea, even if he is a left shot. He's much worse, strangely enough, on his natural side. Benn, for all intents and purposes, should be considered a RD.

I would not be happy going again with a

Mete / Weber
Kulak / Petry
Benn / Juulsen

D-Corps alignment.

For argument's sake (I don't actually like Gardiner), if Bergevin signed Gardiner as an UFA, my D-Corps alignment would be:

Gardiner - Weber
Kulak - Petry
Mete - Juulsen

even if Gardiner should be a 2nd pairing D and not a 1st pairing D and even of Mete can conceivably aspire to be a 2nd pairing D. In this instance, it would really be a question of better complementary pieces playing together.

I like the chemistry/complementarity between Kulak and Petry, as I do the one between Mete and Juulsen. Gardiner's Petry-like style would be best protected by a pairing partner like weber who could give Gardiner more range with his transition game.

Much stronger D, overall, than throughout this season, IMO, but far from what I would still like to see. gardiner is an example and not the answer.

Stay very far away from Gardner. Overrated as a top 4D and he's not better than Kulak. Plus he will not be signing with the Habs and wanting to play against the Leafs in the same division so problem solved. He's not the type to want to prove someone wrong and go up against the Leafs. Stay away from players who are let go from their previous teams cause they felt they could live without them. Gardiner is better than Alzner but same type of thinking. They are spare parts that you have to overpay for in UFA. Huge potential for a mistake.

Try to sign Edler to a 2 year deal at a high AAV. If that don't work, stay put on D. Don't try to force a fix. Wait for Romanov.

 

[Hostile Offer]

I showed you how the +/- applies to who Petry is paired with. It's logical but you can think +/- means nothing and wonder why the NHL tracks this stat. If Kulak was exposed in the last 1/3 of the season like you say he is, Julien would of tried a different option with Petry like he did when Reilly was replaced with Kulak.

What is your comment about Petry being a + player playing with Kulak in the last 30 games and how this compares to Petry's - ratings he has over his career?

No disrespect but I think you need to look deeper into it. Kulak is not getting the respect he deserves.

I think you need to look deeper into it. There are so many things that affect on one's plus/minus it's really useless to just stare that stat without a larger context. Petry's minus ratings in those terrible Edmonton teams and last year's Habs have nothing to do with Kulak. Kulak was exposed, just like Reilly and Benn and practically everyone else they tried to pair with Petry. Kulak was just more effective offensively than those guys and that's why he got the job. You could say he happened to be the least bad option in a pool of bad options.