Top offensive defenseman placed on the trade block by the Montreal Canadiens as the trade deadline draws near
Photo credit: Jess Starr - The Hockey Writers
Today new insider reports have linked the Montreal Canadiens to potential trades involving top offensive defenseman Mike Matheson in the coming months.
During the 2023-24 NHL season Matheson was one of the best offensive-producing defensemen in the NHL at the age of 29 with 62 points in 82 games proving that he could be a top defenseman for a contending team in the years to come.
Despite his incredible season in 2023-24 Matheson has now found his NHL future to be uncertain at just 30 years old as the Montreal Canadiens have had an incredible youth movement this season.
Particularly the breakout campaign of Canadiens top prospect Lane Hutson has now made Matheson a lot more expendable heading into the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
With Hutson taking a majority of the offensive reps on a struggling Canadiens team Matheson has tallied just 17 points in 32 games to begin this season.
The Canadiens seem to be firmly out of playoff contention at the moment and now multiple reports from insiders have revealed that the Canadiens could likely move on from Matheson and give him a fresh start with a contending team.
Insiders connect the Canadiens to deadline move involving Mike Matheson
According to Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun, the Canadiens continue to plan for the future wanting to create space for more young defensemen like Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher to get their NHL opportunity.
Kent Hughes, the general manager there, has made no secret of the fact that he is open for business," Dreger said on Early Trading. "Now, he's not selling off good young assets, even though Justin Barron, a talented young defenceman was part of the deal going to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Carrier, but the reason behind that is twofold.
No. 1, we know what that Montreal Canadiens blueline should look like in the not-too-distant future. So you're going to see the likes of David Reinbacher, you're going to see Logan Mailloux occupying a full-time position on that Montreal blueline. Alright, so they create a little bit more room there, but they also bring in the experience of Alexandre Carrier and that could help them kind of make their way to the future.
"But in the meantime, if someone were to make an offer on say veteran defenceman like Savard or (Mike) Matheson, then this gives backfill to Kent Hughes to consider that between now and March 7th. So Kent Hughes is in a pretty good spot in terms of trying to bolster what he already has.
No. 1, we know what that Montreal Canadiens blueline should look like in the not-too-distant future. So you're going to see the likes of David Reinbacher, you're going to see Logan Mailloux occupying a full-time position on that Montreal blueline. Alright, so they create a little bit more room there, but they also bring in the experience of Alexandre Carrier and that could help them kind of make their way to the future.
"But in the meantime, if someone were to make an offer on say veteran defenceman like Savard or (Mike) Matheson, then this gives backfill to Kent Hughes to consider that between now and March 7th. So Kent Hughes is in a pretty good spot in terms of trying to bolster what he already has.
As of now, the insiders have not revealed what it might take for the Canadiens to part with either Matheson or Savard but it seems like they would be motivated to find one or both of them a new home by the NHL Trade Deadline.
As more news comes in regarding the future of Mike Matheson with the Canadiens and beyond we will pass along the latest information to you.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 26 | 150 ANSWERS Top offensive defenseman placed on the trade block by the Montreal Canadiens as the trade deadline draws near Would you want your favorite team to trade for Mike Matheson from the Montreal Canadiens? | ||
| Yes | 80 | 53.3 % |
| No | 70 | 46.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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