The 2025-26 season is a big year for Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson.
Matheson is entering the final season of his eight-year, $39 million contract and is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) because of it. Thus, the veteran blueliner will certainly be looking to put together a strong year for the Canadiens, as it will increase his chances of landing a nice payday for his next contract.
Matheson had a bit of an up-and-down season in 2024-25 with the Canadiens, as he posted six goals, 25 assists, 31 points, and a minus-6 rating. This was after he had a career year with the Habs in 2023-24, recording 11 goals and setting new career highs with 51 assists and 62 points.
If Matheson can get his offense back up in 2025-26 and be reliable defensively, it would be significant for him when it comes to his next contract. Furthermore, a strong season from the 6-foot-2 blueliner could end up making him a player that the Canadiens want to keep around beyond this upcoming campaign. Thus, this is an important year in more ways than one for Matheson.
Nevertheless, it is going to be very interesting to see what kind of season Matheson can put together for the Canadiens in 2025-26 from here. If he regains his 2023-24 form, it would be huge for a Canadiens club looking to take another step forward in the right direction this campaign.
Canadiens Have Intriguing PTO Target To Consider
Now that we are in the middle of August, we are going to start seeing teams around the NHL invite players to training camp on professional tryouts (PTOs). While the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens">Montreal Canadiens</a> have had a busy off-season, it would be understandable if they brought in a player or two on a PTO to create more friendly competition at camp.