The Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] announced on Wednesday that the Professional Hockey Writers Association had selected Mike Matheson as the team’s candidate for the Bill Masterton Trophy. The Pointe-Claire native has proven incredibly important to the Habs while completely redefining his role and still excelling. When the Canadiens first acquired the 6-foot-2 and 216 lb defenseman in the (first) Jeff Petry trade, he was counted on to be the power play quarterback, and his mobility made him the team’s most offensive defenseman. That allowed him to register a career-high 62 points in 2023-24, but then the rebuilding Canadiens started to get prime reinforcements on the blueline, namely Lane Hutson last season and Noah Dobson this year. Flat Canadiens Find A Way To Overcome Depleted Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/flat-canadiens-find-a-way-to-overcome-depleted-panthers] Zharovsky Picked Canadiens’ Prospect Who Had The Most Promising Season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/zharovsky-picked-canadiens-prospect-who-had-the-most-promising-season] Hage Likely To Play In Frozen Four Semi-Final [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/hage-likely-to-play-in-frozen-four-semi-final] Their arrivals had a huge impact on Matheson’s role, who went from being the quarterback of the first wave of the man-advantage to the second wave last season to having no power play time this year. He didn’t sulk or moan; he handled the situation like a real professional, embracing his new role because that was in the team's best interest. From an offense-first player, he became a penalty-killing specialist for the Habs while remaining a minute muncher. He currently leads the Canadiens in time on ice with an average of 24:13, which is also the 18th highest mark in the league. He has shown perseverance and dedication in the way he handles the metamorphosis of his role, leading by example on this young Montreal side. The alternate captain, whose contract was going to expire at the end of the season, agreed to sign a five-year contract extension with a $6 million cap hit, arguably less money than he could have gotten had he tested free agency this summer, given how the salary cap will be rising in the coming years. Despite the change in his role, he still has 37 points this season, only one of which came on the man-advantage, up from 31 last season, when he had 10 on the power play. Each year, the Bill Masterton Trophy is awarded to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The winner is selected with a poll among the 32 chapters of the PHWA at the end of the regular season. A Canadiens player has won the award six times, the last one being Carey Price in 2021-22. Max Paccioretty, Saku Koivu, Serge Savard, Henri Richard, and Claude Provost are the other five recipients from the team. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News. Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I].
