Mike Matheson played his second season in a Canadian uniform. And it went very well.
The Quebec defenseman enjoyed the best campaign of his career, scoring 11 goals and 62 points in 82 games.
It’s hard to believe that Kent Hughes didn’t make a good move, picking him up in Pittsburgh (for Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling) almost two years ago…
Matheson is young (he just turned 30) and his contract runs out at the end of the 25-26 season. He earns an annual salary of $4.875 million, which is excellent.
On the other hand, we know that the Habs are full of good young left-handed defensemen, and that at some point, Kent Hughes will have some decisions to make.
There are only six defense positions in a hockey club (normally), after all.
That said… The idea of trading Matheson has been around in the past (especially at the deadline) and it’s coming back after we saw Lane Hutson be excellent in his first two NHL games.
It was one of the topics of discussion on BPM Sports’ morning show…
And Anthony Desaulniers, one of the show’s hosts, said that Hughes needs to consider a trade right now because the defenseman has a big value on the market and because the youngsters are coming along :
It’s true that there’s an abundance of defensemen in the organization, on both the left and the right…
But just because that’s the case and Matheson’s value doesn’t necessarily mean he should be sent elsewhere.
The Habs want to make the playoffs next year, and they need an offensive guy like Matheson on the blue line.
Yes, Lane Hutson showed some nice things on the ice last night, but will he keep up the same pace over 82 games?
Matheson showed he’s important to the Habs because he plays a big role on the ice and in the dressing room.
We’re talking about a veteran who’s close to the players… And the Habs can’t start the season with just one veteran on the blue line in David Savard.
It’s not as if a Johnathan Kovacevic, a Jordan Harris or a Jayden Struble has the same impact as Matheson in the Habs lineup, either.
Some believe that Matheson and Hutson can’t coexist on the same blue line in Montreal.
In fact, Matheson was asked the question this morning during locker clearing…
And Matheson laughed, quite simply:
Why wouldn’t it work?
Because they have defensive shortcomings and because they’re offensive guys?
The Habs have two defensemen with the potential to score 50-60 points a season… And they’re already in Montreal.
People complain that the Habs can’t score goals, and that’s been the case for a few years now.
Now we want to get rid of a defenseman who has scored over 60 points this season because his value is good and because he doesn’t earn much money for what he brings to a club on the ice?
Let’s see. We should be happy to have him in town, Mike Matheson…
Gossip
– That’s it boys!
– Another feat within Alex Ovechkin’s grasp.
– Voilà.
– Let’s go!
More must-reads: