The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defensemen Victor Mete and Jordie Benn, according to reports by Sportsnet’s Luke Fox and Elliotte Friedman.
Benn, 34, will join the Maple Leafs on a one-year deal carrying a $750K cap hit, Friedman indicated. The terms of Mete’s deal with Toronto have not been reported.
Mete, 24, scored seven points (all assists) and averaged 14:37 in 37 games with the Ottawa Senators during the 2021–22 regular season.
The 5-foot-9, 189-pound left-handed defenseman spent parts of four seasons with the Montreal Canadiens to kick off his National Hockey League career before being claimed off waivers by Ottawa in 2021. Mete has scored five goals and 43 points in 236 career games with the Canadiens and Senators.
Benn has spent 11 seasons in the NHL, most recently racking up eight points (one goal, seven assists) while averaging 14:59 in 39 games with the Minnesota Wild in 2021–22. He’s the older brother of Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn.
In 595 career regular-season games with the Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, and Wild, Benn — a 6-foot-2, 199-pound left-handed defender — has scored 25 goals and 135 points.
Mete and Benn join a Maple Leafs defensive group that already includes Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, Jake Muzzin, Mark Giordano, Timothy Liljegren, Justin Holl, and RFA Rasmus Sandin.
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