Canadiens activate Mike Matheson off injured reserve

The Canadiens will welcome back a key defenseman tonight against Philadelphia as the team announced (Twitter link) that Mike Matheson will make his Montreal debut after being activated off injured reserve.

The 28-year-old was acquired from Pittsburgh over the offseason in a move that saw defenseman Jeff Petry and center Ryan Poehling join the Penguins. Matheson, who was coming off a career year with Pittsburgh that saw him put up 11 goals and 20 assists in 74 games, was expected to play the role that Petry had last season as Montreal’s number one defender but he suffered an abdominal injury early in the preseason. Originally diagnosed as a day-to-day issue, it was then suggested that he’d be out until mid-December, but he’s clearly ahead of that timeline.

Montreal freed up a roster spot Friday when the team returned forward Rem Pitlick to AHL Laval, so they don’t have to make any other moves for now. Instead, they’ll opt to carry eight defensemen and will sit one of their rookies, as Jordan Harris is expected to be scratched for the first time this season. With four rookies (three of them being waiver-exempt) on their active roster, that’s not a particularly tenable situation from a long-term perspective, but for now Montreal will welcome Matheson back and potentially begin a rotation of the final two spots on the back end.