The Montreal Canadiens made the most significant trade of the summer when they acquired Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders. That acquisition is going to have a substantial impact on the team and on certain players in particular. One of the players who is likely to be the most affected is Mike Matheson.
The veteran defenseman is entering a contract year; he’ll be playing the last year of the eight-year pact he signed with the Florida Panthers back in 2017. Since then, he’s evolved a lot, and it’s with Montreal that he really came into his own as an offensive defenseman. In 2023-24, he put up 62 points, nearly twice as many as the personal best of 34 points he had set the year before. Unfortunately for Matheson, though, in 2024-25, one of the Canadiens’ most prized prospects was ready to make the jump to the NHL, and it meant that his role changed tremendously.
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He started the season on the first power play unit, but as Hutson progressed, he was demoted to the second unit. From an average of 3:41 of power play time in 2023-24, he went down to just 1:57 in 2024-25. His overall ice time also dropped, although less dramatically, from 25:33 to 25:05, but he wasn’t necessarily used in situations that put him in the best light. With David Savard having lost a step and going from 20:14 of ice time to 16:35, Matheson was asked to pick up a lot of the slack.
With more defensive responsibility and less power play time, he became somewhat exposed defensively. He led the team in giveaways with 107, over 20 more than second-place Nick Suzuki in that category. The fact that the captain comes in second place goes to show that the more time you spend on the ice, the more turnovers you’ll make; it’s simple maths. Nobody would call Suzuki a defensive liability, and yet, there he is.
The difference is that when a defenseman turns the puck over at the offensive line, it more often than not results in a breakaway for the other team, making it more costly. What was less obvious, however, was the fact that Matheson also led the team in takeaways with 43, 12 more than Suzuki, who was also second in that department.
Right now, it’s unclear exactly how Dobson’s arrival will impact Matheson. Of course, he should see his ice time go down a bit, and that should help get his turnover stats down, but that’s unlikely to be the sole consequence. The new member of the defense corps comes to town with 230 points in 388 games for a 0.59 point-per-game, while Matheson’s stands at 0.42. Furthermore, he averaged 3:00 of ice time on the man advantage last year on Long Island, and nearly a third of his points came on the power play. It’s also worth noting that Dobson committed 108 turnovers last season.
Given the fact that the Canadiens signed off on a $9.5M AAV for Dobson, it stands to reason that they’ll want to use him to the fullest extent of his potential, and that’s likely to mean he will get a spot on the power play, which may result in Matheson being removed from the man-advantage altogether. Unless Martin St-Louis decides to use two defensemen on the second unit, it could happen, but with more forward candidates for the special team than ever, it would be surprising.
In other words, it should be another challenging year for Matheson, a second year in a row in which he sees his role diminish offensively, and he’s asked to defend more than he ever was. The timing isn’t great for a player who’s entering the last year of his contract and wants to showcase his value. Oftentimes, the offensive defensemen are the ones who break the bank in free agency.
There were, however, rumblings early in the preseason that Matheson would have liked to sign an extension in Montreal. One can wonder if that’s still the case with Dobson’s arrival. Still, if it is and he fully embraces his offensively diminished role, it stands to reason that the Canadiens would be willing to hang on to him and pay for his services in accordance with his usefulness.
The blueliner was born in town, he loves playing at home, and he is an excellent mentor and role model for the young Canadiens blueline. His teammates look up to him, and next season, Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson’s contracts will be coming to an end. Every team needs veteran leadership, and if the plan is to let Gallagher and Anderson go, keeping hold of Matheson would make sense.
This promises to be a pivotal season in the rearguard’s career and one that will have a significant impact on the rest of his career. In February, Matheson will be 32 years old, and this will likely be his last chance to cash in on a big contract.
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