Montreal Canadiens VP Jeff Gorton Comments on Top Defenseman Amid Trade Rumours
The Montreal Canadiens made waves acquiring Noah Dobson from the Islanders, joining Calder winner Lane Hutson on the blueline, reducing Michael
Matheson's role.
Matheson, who was acquired three years ago as a piece of the Jeff Petry trade to Pittsburgh (Petry was later traded back to Montreal briefly in the Erik Karlsson deal the next year), has been a great contributor in Montreal throughout his stint.
The Pointe-Claire, Quebec native, who grew up less than 20 minutes away from the Bell Centre (when there's no traffic!), rose the ranks to become a fan-favourite in his dominant 62-point 2023-24 season.
Last season, however, the emergence of Lane Hutson, who took over the first power play unit in December, made Matheson's role less crucial, and highlighted his defensive holes.
When the Canadiens acquired Noah Dobson in a blockbuster draft day deal with the New York Islanders, trading the 16th and 17th overall picks in 2025 (Viktor Eklund, Kashawn Aitcheson), and forward Emil Heineman, Matheson's fate appeared all-but-confirmed.
Hutson will stay on PP1, and Dobson will likely become a fixture on PP2 - this is, of course, if Martin St. Louis doesn't choose to play them on the same unit.
Dobson has one of the best shots in the league, but is far from a serial power play shooter, having only scored three power play goals in the last two years, but with Hutson feeding him from the blue line, that could spark.
Either way, Matheson will either play limited minutes on PP2, or be relegated off the power play entirely, rendering him far less effective.
Canadiens executive vice president Jeff Gorton shared his thoughts on the matter in an interview with RG Media:
Well, when we look at our defense, with [Matheson] still in it, it looks to me like it's really good.
It's got a little bit of everything. 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.
It's got a little bit of everything. 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.
The Canadiens are known as a team that tries to optimize their assets, and GM Kent Hughes knows that Matheson's value will fall on a third pairing, and that the tight defense market could create an ideal trade situation - for now, however, it appears nothing is imminent.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 14 | 514 ANSWERS Montreal Canadiens VP Jeff Gorton Comments on Top Defenseman Amid Trade Rumours Do you want your team to trade for Mike Matheson from Montreal? | ||
| Yes | 232 | 45.1 % |
| No | 282 | 54.9 % |
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