General manager Pierre Dorion claimed Victor Mete Monday and less than seven hours later, he was making his Sens debut in a 4-2 win over Winnipeg where he played 9:43.
"It was pretty crazy," Mete said post-game. "I practiced this morning in Montreal, then skated with the extras after and then got told at 12 that I got claimed by Ottawa by Marc Bergevin. And then I got a call from Pierre and D.J. [Smith] asking if I could make the game tonight and I said 'yeah' so my fiancé and me quickly packed, drove down here and I came straight to the rink."
Mete, who has four goals and 34 points in 186 career games, was paired with Josh Brown in his Sens debut. It made for a stark contrast in sizing; Brown comes in at 6'5, 221 lbs, while Mete is 5'9, 184.
"It was great playing with him," Brown said. "I think we got some chemistry early. It's kind of fun for me to play with a skill guy like that. Give him the puck and let him do his thing. He settled in really fast considering how quick that turnaround was for him."
Mete's role is expected to expand tonight against the Jets after having a full team practice Tuesday with his new teammates as he acclimatizes himself to his new surroundings.
"I think he'll get more and more comfortable," Sens head coach D.J. Smith said. "I think he'll be able to break us out. We just want him to get here and play with some confidence. He obviously lost his confidence in Montreal, when you're in and out of the lineup, that happens … but now he has an opportunity here to prove that he belongs in the league and we're going to give him that opportunity. When he gets his confidence back, we think he can be a good player."
Mete himself is looking forward to the challenge in Ottawa too.
"I'm still a really young player, only 22, so it's good to be here with a lot of young guys as well," he said. "I feel like if I can establish myself here and move in with the team it'd be a big success moving forward."
