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Mike Matheson

Evening Notes: Red Wings, Motte, Matheson

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In today’s episode of The DFO Rundown, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period speculated that the Red Wings have been looking for offense, especially down the middle, and could be looking to move defensemen to make it happen. The Wings have top prospect Nate Danielson in the fold, however he is out indefinitely, after making a strong case to make the team. Detroit’s search for another top forward is nothing new, however, given that they are forced to lean on their young defensemen, trading one of them seems unlikely. Pagnotta affirmed this, noting that Travis Hamonic or Erik Gustafsson could be candidates, but their value is limited at this point.

One such young Red Wing defenseman that likely should be untouchable is Axel Sandin-Pellikka. In an article shared by NHL.com columnist Nick Cotsonika today, which was written by NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman, the electric Swede is off to an impressive start, averaging 21 minutes a night. His three NHL games have already surpassed his AHL total, two with Grand Rapids last season, but the 20-year-old appears up to the challenge. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Journeyman Tyler Motte has been signed to a professional tryout with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, as announced by the team. Motte, 30, was unable to secure an NHL contract after being released from the Panthers in training camp. Originally drafted 121st overall by Chicago in 2013, the Michigan native carved out 455 games in the NHL, not appearing in the AHL since 2017-18. Now, Motte will look to earn a role with Charlotte in a bid to extend his career. 
  • In yesterday’s edition of Insider Trading, TSN’s Pierre Lebrun mentioned that Mike Matheson is at the forefront for Montreal. Given all their activity from Noah Dobson to Lane Hutson, Matheson was put off a bit, however now the team will look to lock up the pending UFA. Lebrun said that Matheson is interested in the possibility, but that he does not want a short-term deal. The 31-year-old took a step back last season after a 62-point explosion in 2023-24, but Montreal should expect a raise from his current $4.8MM value, as much as $7MM according to AFP Analytics. 

Snapshots: Canadiens Defense, Steeves, Burns

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The Montreal Canadiens made one of the offseason’s biggest trades when they acquired top-pairing blueliner Noah Dobson in a trade with the New York Islanders. After the deal, most had pencilled in Kaiden Guhle as Dobson’s likely partner, often citing Guhle’s defensive reliability as a factor that would hypothetically allow Dobson to play a more aggressive offensive style, perhaps one that would help him reach the scoring heights he hit in 2023-24, when he notched 70 points. Today, The Athletic’s Arpon Basu reported that Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis appears likely to stick with his current training camp defense pairings at least until he can see how they fare against regular season competition, which would mean Dobson is slated to begin the season paired not with Guhle, but instead veteran Mike Matheson.

The move would allow Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson to remain paired with Guhle, the player he finished 2024-25 paired with. The idea of pairing Matheson with Dobson is one that has merit, even though Matheson can sometimes garner harsh criticism from Canadiens fans. Although he can sometimes be mistake-prone, Matheson has shown a real, highly valuable ability to log heavy minutes: he averaged 25:05 time-on-ice per game in 2024-25, despite losing his role as first-unit power play quarterback to Hutson. While he’s not as highly regarded as a defensive force compared to Guhle, he is the Canadiens’ most experienced defenseman, so it’s not unreasonable for St. Louis to expect Matheson to be a solid partner to help Dobson settle in with his new team.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Outside of star David Pastrnak, the Boston Bruins don’t have the NHL’s most standout collection of forwards. But where there is a lack of established talent, there is also opportunity for less-experienced players to establish themselves, and that’s exactly what 25-year-old AHL standout Alex Steeves appears to have the opportunity to do. The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa reports that Steeves, who has been playing on a line with Casey Mittlestadt to start training camp, “should have a better chance to stick” on Boston’s NHL roster than he did with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he was generally an AHL scorer. According to Shinzawa, playing with Mittlestadt has been “a good spot” for Steeves, who had 36 goals and 62 points across 59 AHL games last season. While it’s unwise to put too much stock into early training camp deployments, one thing is clear: this preseason is perhaps the largest opportunity for Steeves to become a full-time NHLer as he’s had in his entire pro career thusfar.
  • Veteran defenseman Brent Burns won’t play in the team’s preseason contest as he’s currently dealing with a “minor tweak,” reports Colorado Hockey Now’s Aarif Deen. Deen added that the injury is “nothing serious” but that the club felt it would be best to hold him out of the upcoming contests. Burns, 40, has been remarkably healthy throughout his NHL career, and has logged 82 games played across four consecutive NHL seasons. So while Burns may not play in the club’s upcoming games due to injury, one should not expect this development to impact his readiness to contribute in the regular season.

Atlantic Notes: Matheson, Robertson, Bruins

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Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson is in the final year of his contract and is eligible to sign a contract extension.  His agent Philippe Lecavalier told Richard Labbe of La Presse that the 31-year-old is hoping to re-sign.  Matheson had a breakout showing in 2023-24 when he put up 62 points, putting him ninth among all NHL blueliners in that category.  However, the emergence of Lane Hutson saw Matheson’s offensive minutes drop and the end result was a drop to 31 points.  Noah Dobson is now in the fold which could similarly cut into his offensive chances even more.  That could complicate things on a new contract as a blueliner who logs 25 minutes a night should be eyeing a raise from the $4.875MM he’s set to make this season but with Hutson and Dobson around, the Canadiens may not be inclined to pay market value for someone who probably won’t come close to that career high offensively again with them.

More from the Atlantic:

  • In an interview with Jonas Siegel of The Athletic earlier this week (subscription link), Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube declined to speak about winger Nicholas Robertson’s situation, merely noting that there will be a lot of competition at training camp. In a follow-up column to that interview (subscription link), Siegel suggests that might not be an encouraging sign for the soon-to-be-24-year-old.  Robertson notched 15 goals and seven assists in 69 games last season, earning him a $1.8MM contract to avoid salary arbitration but his fit in Toronto’s lineup remains uncertain at best.  He remains a player to keep an eye on when it comes to a trade over the coming weeks, especially if it looks like he’ll be on the outside looking in at a lineup spot in early October.
  • Speaking with reporters at their charity golf tournament (video link), Bruins GM Don Sweeney indicated that the team will begin the upcoming season without a captain.  While veterans David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy are the presumptive favorites and could plausibly be appointed now without much issue, Sweeney wants the captaincy progress to come more organically over simply appointing someone to the role now, even though one of those two could very well end up with the role down the road.

Montreal Canadiens Wish To Retain Mike Matheson

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After acquiring defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders shortly before the start of free agency, the Montreal Canadiens solidified the top four of their defensive core for the foreseeable future. Montreal has Dobson and Kaiden Guhle signed to long-term contracts, is one year away from having the option to do the same with phenom Lane Hutson, and has former fifth-overall pick David Reinbacher waiting in the wings.

With the need for ample salary cap space to sign Hutson next offseason, speculation has arisen that the Canadiens might consider trading blue liner Mike Matheson for center help or allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. However, it doesn’t appear that the organization believes they have to lose Matheson, nor do they want to.

In a new interview with James Murphy of RG Media, Montreal’s Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, Jeff Gorton, spoke highly of Matheson, saying, “If you look at Mike’s body of work since he came to Montreal, he’s been a really good player. So, sure, he takes criticism once in a while, but he might play upwards of 25 minutes a game sometimes, right? He’s been huge right now, and we all realize that. So, there are no decisions made on Mike right now. Obviously, he’s got a year left on his contract, but he’s been a very, very, solid player for us. He’s a very good penalty killer; he plays against the best players every night, and there’s not much he doesn’t do.”

There’s plenty of truth to Gorton’s vote of confidence. After scoring 138 points in 417 games through the first seven years of his career between the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins, Matheson has become a legitimate top-four defenseman in Montreal, scoring 25 goals and 127 points in 210 contests, averaging 25:07 of ice time per game.

Matheson leaves something to be desired in his underlying metrics as he’s averaged a 45.6% CorsiFor% at even strength and 89.6% on-ice save percentage at even strength since coming to Montreal. Still, it’s important to note that, like Gorton said, Matheson typically lines up against the opposing team’s top forwards, giving more context to those numbers.

The 10-year veteran will assuredly seek a healthy increase on his $4.875MM salary next offseason, especially with the upper limit of the salary cap continuing to rise. Thankfully, even with the pending contract for Hutson, the Canadiens should have the financial flexibility to extend him if they desire. Including Matheson’s expiring contract, Montreal has another $19.2MM coming off the books next summer from Patrik Laine’s and Carey Price’s contracts, although the latter has been stashed on LTIR for several years.

Still, if the Canadiens truly want to keep Matheson beyond the 2025-26 campaign, it serves as something they’ll want to get completed sooner rather than later. With more teams looking to become competitive and with more available dollars floating around, Matheson could get a premier payday on the open market next summer, and there are certainly other teams that may be willing to outspend Montreal for his services.

Canadiens Notes: Anderson, Laine, Montembeault, Worlds, Savard

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As expected, several injuries for the Montreal Canadiens were revealed in today’s end-of-season presser. Forwards Josh Anderson and Patrik Laine, along with netminder Sam Montembeault, shared insights into their struggles with injuries during Montreal’s playoff run.

Vaguely, Anderson told Eric Engels of Sportsnet that he was dealing with lower- and upper-body injuries throughout the regular season, and that he likely wouldn’t have played if the Canadiens weren’t in a position to qualify for the postseason. Still, Anderson impressively tallied 15 goals on the year and played in the highest number of games since the 2018-19 season.

Meanwhile, Laine shared with Marco D’Amico of RG the specifics of the hand injury that kept him out of Games 3, 4, and 5. D’Amico quoted Laine saying, “I broke my finger in the second game. I couldn’t really hold my stick, and shooting is what I do. I was disappointed.”

Lastly, Engels reported that the Canadiens were without their starting netminder for the series’ last two games because of a torn groin. Thankfully, Montembeault won’t require surgery, meaning a full off-season with rehab should have him ready to start the 2025-26 season on time for Montreal.

Other Canadiens notes:

  • Now that their playoff run has concluded, the Canadiens will have at least one player participating in the 2025 IIHF World Championships and could have a few more. Montreal announced that defenseman Mike Matheson will suit up for Team Canada, while Engels reported Cole Caufield (Tweet Link) and Lane Hutson (Tweet Link) are undecided on playing for Team USA. Unfortunately, Team Slovakia will be without one of their top young players as Engels shared Juraj Slafkovsky won’t play in this summer’s international competition.
  • Now retired following the Canadiens’ elimination at the hands of the Capitals, David Savard would like to continue his work career with the Canadiens in a different capacity (Tweet Link). He didn’t allude to which path, as in coaching or a front office position, but he did say he would like to work with the team’s defensemen in some fashion.

East Notes: Matheson, Laine, Ovechkin, Matinpalo

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The Montreal Canadiens tweeted that defenseman Mike Matheson and forward Patrik Laine will not take part in today’s team practice. The tweet wasn’t overly detailed and described their absences as a “Therapy day.”

The Canadiens have been cautious with Laine as he just returned from injury and has played just four games this season. The former second-overall pick suffered a knee injury in the preseason and there were concerns he could miss the entire season. However, the 26-year-old fortunately was able to recover without surgery and missed just two and a half months of action. Laine has been sensational since returning, posting three goals and an assist.

There are no further details on Matheson at this time, but the 30-year-old did miss two games at the end of November with a lower-body injury. Matheson has been terrific once again this season for Montreal, registering two goals and 13 assists in 26 games.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Washington Capitals injured superstar Alex Ovechkin skated this morning as he tries to work his way back into game action (as per Tom Gulitti from NHL.com). Ovechkin skated in a non-contact jersey and had former teammate Nicklas Backstrom join him on the ice in a track suit. The 39-year-old Ovechkin is trying to overcome a fractured fibula that has kept him out of action since November 18th. Ovechkin had seven goals in the five games prior to the injury as he closes in on the NHL’s all-time goals record.
  • The Ottawa Senators announced that they have loaned defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo to the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League. Matinpalo was recalled yesterday, but is being returned to Belleville as his shuttling back and forth continues. Matinpalo has yet to play an NHL game this season but did dress in four games last season. This year, the 26-year-old has dressed in 17 AHL games, picking up two goals and four assists.

East Notes: Canadiens, Guhle, Senators, Robertson

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While the Canadiens sit in the basement of the Atlantic Division once again and are speculated to be likely to move out more veterans, Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette argues that Montreal might be better off retaining two in particular, defenseman Mike Matheson and center Jake Evans.  Matheson has one more year left on his contract at an affordable $4.875MM and had 15 points in 24 games so far this season after finishing in the top ten in scoring among NHL defenders in 2023-24.  But with Lane Hutson impressing early on, some have wondered if he’d be available.

As for Evans, the 28-year-old is off to a career-best start with five goals and nine assists through 26 outings while logging 16 minutes a game while leading all NHL forwards in shorthanded ice time.  A pending unrestricted free agent, he could conceivably double his current $1.7MM price tag on the open market.  With his low cost this season, Evans could be one of the Canadiens’ better trade chips but Cowan suggests that he and Matheson might be the right types of veterans to keep around as Montreal tries to emerge from its rebuild in the coming seasons.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Still with Montreal, Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle missed Thursday’s game against Nashville due to illness. However, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that indications are that the 22-year-old will return to the lineup tonight.  Guhle has recorded six points, 48 blocks, and 26 hits in 20 games so far while averaging a career-best 21:34 per night.
  • While the Senators may have had cursory discussions about acquiring Jacob Trouba, those talks wouldn’t have gone far, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The veteran blueliner made it known that he had no interest in playing for a Canadian-based team which also took Montreal, a speculative landing spot with former Ranger GM Jeff Gorton in the front office, off the table.  Trouba eventually accepted a deal to Anaheim on Friday.
  • After being recalled yesterday, the Rangers announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Matthew Robertson has been re-assigned to AHL Hartford. The 23-year-old hasn’t made his NHL debut just yet but has started well with the Wolf Pack this season, notching eight points in 19 games so far.  New York is now down to just six healthy blueliners on its roster so this could be a case of Robertson (or someone else) being brought up on game days to serve as a seventh option for the time being.

Atlantic Notes: Lalonde, Matheson, Lundell, Chaffee, Gregor

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Analyst Darren Dreger shared worrying news for the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, Derek Lalonde, in yesterday’s edition of TSN’s ’Insider Trading’. Dreger highlighted Detroit’s three-game homestand, which begins tonight, as the last chance for Lalonde to continue in his role behind the Red Wings bench.

Lalonde is in the final year of his contract originally signed before the 2022-23 NHL season. He’s compiled an 85-79-21 record as head coach of the Red Wings and has missed the playoffs in his two full seasons behind the bench. General manager Steve Yzerman has typically stayed patient with his head coaches since his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Still, it’s seemingly growing thin with Detroit’s lack of competitiveness.

The firing of Lalonde would mark a significant shift in how the Red Wings have approached coaching in the recent past. Detroit has not fired a coach in-season since the late Mike Illitch purchased the organization in 1982.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Montreal Canadiens announced that defenseman Mike Matheson will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury. It’s concerning that Matheson has missed two games in a row but the Canadiens won’t play again until Saturday which should give Matheson plenty of time to recover if it’s a minor injury. He’s been an effective puck mover again this season with 12 assists in 20 games.
  • Chances are Anton Lundell’s availability for tonight won’t be decided until warm-ups. According to Colby Guy of the Associated Press, Lundell’s status is still in the air depending on his ability to see through a bubble shield after suffering a facial injury in the Florida Panthers’ last game against the Washington Capitals. The Panthers are expected to change their lines should Lundell not feel ready to go.
  • According to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times, forward Mitchell Chaffee won’t be in tonight’s lineup for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Chaffee only skated in 9:55 of Tampa Bay’s dominant win against the Colorado Avalanche Monday night after skating on the team’s second line next to Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli. In his three recent games on the second line, Chaffee recorded one goal and three points.
  • Depth forward Noah Gregor will be a game-time decision for the Ottawa Senators tonight (X Link). Gregor has missed five straight games for the Senators after scoring two goals and three points in his first 16 contests.

East Notes: Matheson, Gadjovich, Flyers

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The Montreal Canadiens announced a last-minute scratch tonight as defenseman Mike Matheson was held out of the lineup with a lower-body injury. The news came out just before the puck drop against Utah, Jayden Struble suited up in his place. Matheson skated with the Canadiens earlier in the day during the team’s morning skate but did miss practice yesterday.

Matheson’s absence will leave a hole in Montreal’s defense, particularly their power play where Matheson is typically the only defenseman on their top unit. The 30-year-old is currently averaging over 24 minutes a night in ice time and is third in team scoring with a goal and 12 assists in 20 games this season. Matheson had a career year last season, tallying 11 goals and 51 assists while dressing in all 82 games for Montreal.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Florida Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich was dressed in a regular practice jersey today as he skated with his teammates (as per Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post). The 26-year-old did not play last night against the Washington Capitals due to an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Gadjovich has just a single goal this season and has only played 11 games due to a back injury that kept him sidelined for eight games in late October and early November. When the Whitby, Ontario native has dressed he’s played sparingly, averaging just 7:13 of ice time per game.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers remain on the hunt for a top-six center (as per Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff). Philadelphia reportedly spoke with the Minnesota Wild earlier in the season about a potential swap, but nothing came from the talks, likely due to the Wild’s tough salary cap situation. The Flyers aren’t in a rush to make a move, which makes sense given the team’s timeline, however, they do have assets to make a move including draft capital as well as potentially using 2018 first-round pick Joel Farabee or Morgan Frost as potential trade pieces in a package.

Evening Notes: Matheson, Benson, Front Offices

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Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson is in the lineup tonight against the New York Rangers (as per  Eric Engels of Sportsnet). Matheson left the Canadiens game last Thursday night with an apparent upper-body injury after playing just 7:35 during the first period. He didn’t return for the second period and was ruled out of the game. The 30-year-old then returned to the Canadiens lineup on Saturday night against the Islanders and played over 28 minutes, tallying an assist.

Matheson’s dressing tonight left fellow defenseman Arber Xhekaj on the outside looking in as the Hamilton, Ontario native was made a healthy scratch. It marks the second game in a row that the 23-year-old has had to watch from the press box as he didn’t dress in New York on Saturday night.

In other evening notes:

  • Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson sat out tonight’s game and has been dealing with an issue since the team opened the season in Prague (as per Joe Yerdon of Noted Hockey). Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff credited the youngster with trying to play through the injury but said the ailment was beginning to affect his play. The 13th overall pick in 2023 is pointless through six games this season but has very strong underlying numbers and could benefit from a bit of rest to try and deal with the issue that has been nagging him. Buffalo doesn’t play again until Saturday.
  • The Athletic ran a poll with 40 high-ranking league executives to see who they believe is the NHL’s top front office. Among the participants were scouting directors, senior advisors, general managers, and assistant general managers. The top three clubs in the rankings were the Dallas Stars at one, the Tampa Bay Lightning second, and the Florida Panthers in third. The Golden Knights and Bruins rounded out the top five.  It’s no surprise to see three recent Stanley Cup winners in the top five, but what is surprising is seeing the number one ranking go to a team that hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since 1999. Although, the Stars did go to a Stanley Cup Final in 2020.

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