The Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-sign-mike-matheson-to-long-term-extension] locked up defenseman Mike Matheson to a five-year, $30-million contract extension on Friday. The 31-year-old's new $6-million cap hit kicks in next season and runs through 2030-31. Matheson, 31, is in the final year of his eight-year contract he signed with the Florida Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers] in October 2017. Across those eight years, he carried a $4.875 million cap hit. Matheson becomes the fourth Canadiens defenseman to be signed to a contract through at least the 2030-31 campaign. Kaiden Guhle signed a six-year contract extension in July 2024, while Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson signed eight-year deals this year. In 22 games played this season for the Habs, Matheson has four goals and 10 assists for 14 points. He’s second on the team behind Dobson in scoring among blueliners. The Pointe-Claire, Que., native also has a plus-13 rating, which is a team high. It's tied for 13th-best in the NHL, sharing that spot with Colorado Avalanche [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche] D-man Josh Manson and Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] center Anthony Cirelli. Matheson also leads the team with 24:50 of average ice time, which is less than he’s averaged in the last two campaigns. He ranks 10th in the NHL in that category. Speaking of Matheson’s last two seasons, that’s when he struck a career high. In 2023-24, he matched a personal best of 11 goals and beat other bests with 51 assists and 62 points. He finished third on the team in points that season, sitting behind captain Nick Suzuki and right winger Cole Caufield. Matheson has played parts of 11 seasons in his NHL career since the Panthers drafted him 23rd overall in 2012. His new contract sets him up to play through another five. He’ll be 37 once his new deal expires. He's played 649 career games in the NHL, registering 78 goals and 279 points. Correction: Matheson's cap hit is $6 million, not $5 million. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/6a98b924-8788-4d58-b46e-86615594e319.png] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
