North Notes: Mete, Ottawa Veterans, Edler, Weber

Among what was a busy day for the Senators yesterday with GM Pierre Dorion’s end-of-season media availability, he told reporters, including Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, that they are now working on a new deal for defenseman Victor Mete.  The pending restricted free agent was claimed off waivers from Montreal at the trade deadline and while his playing time was limited to just over 12 minutes a game over his first five games with them, a good showing plus injuries on the back end saw that number jump to over 23 minutes per contest in their final five games.  Mete is owed a qualifying offer of just over $770K but has salary arbitration eligibility which could come into play if they can’t get a deal done between now and the start of free agency in late July.

More from the North:

• Also from Garrioch’s piece, he reports that the Senators has informed veteran center Artem Anisimov that they will not be bringing him back next season but that they will talk to center Derek Stepan and winger Ryan Dzingel. Stepan was expected to help stabilize their forward group before being moved at the trade deadline but a torn labrum ended those plans quickly.  Dzingel was brought in from Carolina midseason but wasn’t overly productive with six goals and three assists in 29 games.  As for Anisimov, he cleared waivers during the year, suiting up just 19 times along the way although he managed nine points in those contests.  Given his limited usage though, it’s certainly understandable that he won’t be back, especially with a young group of forwards that are pushing for roster spots.
• There haven’t been any extension talks yet between the Canucks and defenseman Alex Edler, notes Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston. The 35-year-old has spent his entire 15-year career in Vancouver and in the past, he has expressed a desire to stay there until he’s ready to retire.  However, with the team already tight to the cap for next season; while they have nearly $16MM in room per CapFriendly, most of that will be going to restricted free agents Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson.  Unless Jim Benning can free up some wiggle room, they may not be able to afford to bring Edler back unless he’s open to a substantial cut from his current $6MM price tag.
• Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber did not participate in practice today but instead skated on his own, relays TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The veteran is dealing with an upper-body injury that’s believed to be a thumb issue but Dominique Ducharme expressed optimism that Weber will be able to rejoin the team later in the week and suit up for Thursday’s opener against Toronto.