Montreal Canadiens executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton recently spoke to James Murphy from RG.org, and he confirmed that while the Habs are still looking to improve, they would be comfortable starting the season with their current lineup.
Of course, the start of the season is not a deadline that freezes teams with their existing lineup; it’s still possible to make trades and improve the roster, just like Kent Hughes did last season when he flipped Justin Barron to the Nashville Predators for Alexandre Carrier.
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When it comes to the second center spot, Gorton believes a suitable solution could be found internally. He stopped short of mentioning who he thinks could be ideal for the role, but Kirby Dach remains the logical candidate as things stand.
If he didn’t talk about a specific center, Gorton, like Hughes, not so long ago, explained how important Mike Matheson is to the team and that his presence makes the blueline better. There’s no denying that the step back he took offensively can be attributed to Lane Hutson’s arrival and meteoric rise to success. If the youngster had needed more time to develop, the veteran defenseman could have stayed on the first pairing for longer and would have had a bigger offensive output.
The way the Habs brass speaks about Matheson, it’s obvious they’ve been impressed with how much of a team guy and a leader he’s been. While some would have complained about the diminution of their offensive opportunities, Matheson took it in his stride and embraced his evolving role. Much like Josh Anderson has, he accepted to play like the team needed him to play.
That’s no small concession since the Montreal native’s contract is nearing its end and more often than not, it’s offensive production that will lead to the big bucks. As Gorton says, though, he was happy to be a minute muncher for Montreal and was a key cog of the Canadiens’ impressive penalty kill. The Sainte-Flanelle had an 80.9% success rate when down a man, up from 76.5% the year before.
Gorton also said that no decision has been made on Matheson’s future, but the way he spoke about the veteran blueliner, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the rearguard get a contract extension, if the price is right, of course. The question is, would Matheson agree to leave some money on the table to stay home? I don’t think the possibility can be dismissed outright…
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
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