When the Montreal Canadiens acquired Noah Dobson, many believed it meant the end of Mike Matheson in Montreal. With sophomore sensation Lane Hutson also on board, the Habs now have three puck-moving defensemen on hand.
With that kind of depth, one could have thought that Kent Hughes was readying himself to train the 31-year-old blueliner to fix another area of need. After all, Matheson is a minute muncher and could be very useful to any team.
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During his press conference on July 1, the GM was asked: Many linked Noah Dobson’s arrival with a potential Mike Matheson departure. From your perspective, do you see yourself moving forward with him?
Hughes didn’t even have to think before answering a simple yes, which signified he didn’t want to discuss the matter further. At the scouting combine in Buffalo, Matheson met with Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes to discuss a potential contract extension since he’s now entering the last year of the eight-year contract he signed with the Florida Panthers in 2018.
With a $4,875,000 AAV, the deal provided excellent value for the Canadiens in the last few years as Matheson’s production increased when he arrived in Montreal and was given the driver’s seat on the power play and a first pairing spot. His points total jumped from 34 in 2022-23 to 62 in 2023-24. Of course, it regressed to only 31 points this past season, but that was to be expected since he lost his spot on the first power-play unit and played more minutes on the penalty kill.
While fans may only notice the decreased production and become less tolerant of the turnovers committed, the Canadiens’ GM considers the possibility of having a puck-moving defenseman on each of his pairings. To him, that’s an enticing possibility. Just how enticing, though? That is the question.
Hughes also mentioned in the same press availability that Joel Armia wanted to stay in Montreal, but the Canadiens were not willing to match the offer the Los Angeles Kings made him. I assume the situation will be similar; Hughes will have to set the price he’s willing to pay and make his pitch to Matheson. If the veteran defenseman is willing to accept the GM’s assessment, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him stick around, but that would probably mean leaving some money on the table. Will Matheson believe enough in what the Canadiens are building to settle for less money in the hope of winning in his hometown? That’s the question.
The GM has already proven he’s a shrewd negotiator, getting Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky to commit long-term for less money than his captain Nick Suzuki and getting newly acquired defenseman Noah Dobson to accept a cap hit that was lower than his rumoured asking price. Usually, the players are buying what Hughes is selling, but will Matheson? Time will tell…
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
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