It’s fair to say that Montreal Canadiens Mike Matheson was overworked last season. The 31-year-old spent an average of over 25 minutes on the ice in the previous campaign, and that was without playing on the first power play from the end of October. That was mainly due to Lane Hutson being deemed ready to take over as the power play’s quarterback.
Now, on the first day of the draft, GM Kent Hughes hit a home run when he landed talented right-shot defenseman Noah Dobson in a trade with the New York Islanders, and one can’t help but wonder if that’s going to spell the end of Matheson’s time in town. Asked about the kind of role Matheson could have this season, executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton explained:
I look at our defense overall, and it’s really encouraging to see our defense if you lay it out right now. Not a lot of holes as we’ve talked about, a little bit of everything, and Mike’s a big part of that. Mike is a very underrated player. He probably doesn’t get enough credit for what he has done for us since he’s been here. He’s been a big part of getting this team turned around. There’s a lot he can do; he can play on the power play, he can kill penalties, and he plays 25 minutes. So, I see a role for Mike. Like I said, he’s a really good player with a good personality who fits in very well, so we’ll take it from there.- Gorton on Matheson's role this season
As for the man himself, Mateson clearly wants to stick around:
My goal is to stay here for as long as possible and help this team achieve its goals. And that’s not going to change even if it ends up being my last year here. This is where I want to be.- Matheson on wanting to stay
Asked if his role will change after the arrival of Dobson this summer, Matheson replied:
I’m not sure, I think that’s something that’s out of my control, so I’m not going to waste much time thinking about those things. It’s not something that should eat up mental energy. It’s essential to keep my energy for the things I can actually control.- Matheson on worrying about things he cannot control
He plans to leave the contract negotiation part of things to his agent and adds that he prefers staying away from all that, which is perfectly understandable. Even if the veteran blueliner says he doesn’t know if Dobson’s arrival will have an impact on his role, it seems apparent that it will, but it won’t necessarily be a negative impact. Seeing less ice time might actually help his game. If he’s fresher on the ice, he may be less exposed to potential mistakes.
While some will want to see him traded at the deadline, I’m not sold on the idea that he has to go. Veteran leadership is necessary on a young team, and if he’s not looking for the moon financially speaking, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to keep him around. The way he talks about wanting to stick around, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him take a hometown discount, much like Jake Evans did last season. He’s approaching the season like a good pro and insisting that being in a contract year doesn’t have any impact for him, he’ll just keep giving his all like he has always done.
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