Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson will certainly be a player to watch next season. The left-shot defenseman is entering the final season of his contract and will be a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA). Thus, this is a big year for the veteran blueliner.

However, another reason why fans should pay attention to Matheson next season is that he is nearing a new career milestone. The 6-foot-2 defenseman needs only nine more assists to hit the 200-assist mark.

What's impressive about Matheson being so close to 200 career assists is that a good chunk of them have come since he joined the Canadiens. In 210 games over three seasons with the Habs, he has recorded 102 assists, with 51 coming from the 2023-24 season alone. Before his time with the Canadiens, Matheson recorded 89 assists in 417 games split between the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Overall, it is no secret that Matheson's offense has improved since joining the Canadiens. He is now nearing this nice milestone because of it, and it will be fascinating to see how quickly he can hit it in 2025-26 from here.

Canadiens' Defense Get Massive Praise From Martin St. Louis When looking at the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens">Montreal Canadiens</a>' roster, it is clear that their defense is a major strength. This is because they have seven caliber NHL defensemen, and they have multiple prospect blueliners who are knocking on the door to becoming NHLers.

Canadiens Defenseman Nearing New Milestone