Prospect Info: [2024 - 21st] Michael Hage, Chicago Steel (USHL), Committed to U of Michigan

[The Gr8 Dane]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1814838484093575408

I'm not crying

 

[salbutera]

I'm not crying

It’s ok, I won’t tell anyone

 

[Andy]

It's impossible not to love this pick, his story alone was worth the trade up.

He's a perfect fit and has all the tools needed to succeed. Just a great kid. <3

This is by far the most "feel good" draft I can ever recall as a hab fan.

I thought the guy in this Gif was Plekanec lmao

 

[Benstheman]

Trading one of the game’s most mobile defencemen who plays 25 plus minutes per game, scores 60+ points a season and is signed for a team friendly contract of under $5M for the next two years would be an act of organizational folly unless the return is so substantial that it can’t be refused.

I agree with all that. But what happens after his contract is up?? Do we sign him to an extension?? And if yes, at what cost? What happens with Guhle?? does he end up playing on the right side all of his career?

Do we go forward with two offense first LHD on the top two pairs, in Matheson and Hutson?

I mean, i get that Matheson may (i think it's debatable) be important for us right now but real question his mid/long term, do we keep him?? If not, we have to trade him next summer or at worst, at the last trade deadline of his contract. The worst thing would be losing him for nothing.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

I agree with all that. But what happens after his contract is up?? Do we sign him to an extension?? And if yes, at what cost? What happens with Guhle?? does he end up playing on the right side all of his career?

Do we go forward with two offense first LHD on the top two pairs, in Matheson and Hutson?

I mean, i get that Matheson may (i think it's debatable) be important for us right now but real question his mid/long term, do we keep him?? If not, we have to trade him next summer or at worst, at the last trade deadline of his contract. The worst thing would be losing him for nothing.

I suppose it all comes down to how the Canadiens are faring as we approach the end of Matheson's very team favourable contract. If some here are still harboring doubts as to whether Matheson's contract is a favourable one for the Canadiens, you only have to look at what the Kings signed Joel Edmundson for (4 x $3.85M) this past spring.

As we approach the terminable date of Matheson's contract, if the team is contending for a playoff position,, why in earth would Hughes trade his presumptive number one defenceman? On the other hand, If we are still pretenders at that time (which means the expect wave of our supposed superior prospect has been delayed or, more troubling, was illusory), then the imperative to trade Matheson for what should be a good return, will be more pressing and prudent.

 

[Benstheman]

I suppose it all comes down to how the Canadiens are faring as we approach the end of Matheson's very team favourable contract. If some here are still harboring doubts as to whether Matheson's contract is a favourable one for the Canadiens, you only have to look at what the Kings signed Joel Edmundson for (4 x $3.85M) this past spring.

As we approach the terminable date of Matheson's contract, if the team is contending for a playoff position,, why in earth would Hughes trade his presumptive number one defenceman? On the other hand, If we are still pretenders at that time (which means the expect wave of our supposed superior prospect has been delayed or, more troubling, was illusory), then the imperative to trade Matheson for what should be a good return, will be more pressing and prudent.

Absolutely. I would also add it will depends on Hutson progression throughout next season/season and a half.

 

[Gustave]

I suppose it all comes down to how the Canadiens are faring as we approach the end of Matheson's very team favourable contract. If some here are still harboring doubts as to whether Matheson's contract is a favourable one for the Canadiens, you only have to look at what the Kings signed Joel Edmundson for (4 x $3.85M) this past spring.

As we approach the terminable date of Matheson's contract, if the team is contending for a playoff position,, why in earth would Hughes trade his presumptive number one defenceman? On the other hand, If we are still pretenders at that time (which means the expect wave of our supposed superior prospect has been delayed or, more troubling, was illusory), then the imperative to trade Matheson for what should be a good return, will be more pressing and prudent.

Everything here makes sense, no dispute. However from my POV, I’d like to manage my asset (Matheson in this instant) from a value point of view.

To recap; he does have a favorable contract, he did have a career year statistically speaking, and he plays in the position where we have a surplus of players.

Now, are they all performing at his rate? Absolutely not. He is the de facto number 1 option as a puck carrier + the PP point man. He logs more minutes than any other. So what do we do here? Sell at his high (his absolute high may be even bigger if we wait to trade deadline) or risk his stock lowering in the case of Hutson coming in and getting the PP minutes?

Risk management in the context of this season; does it matter if we « hurt » our season? I’m thorn on this point. Maybe all our prospects all flub and we have a season as bad as the year prior to our last one. In that case, what does MM provide? If our season is good but MM doesn’t perform, did we fail in the asset management game?

All those if’s make me want to take my profit on an asset that does not have a long history of performance as good as the last season. Just to make sure we get max and on the fact that next season doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of our rebuild, points wise in the standings.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I agree with all that. But what happens after his contract is up?? Do we sign him to an extension?? And if yes, at what cost? What happens with Guhle?? does he end up playing on the right side all of his career?

Do we go forward with two offense first LHD on the top two pairs, in Matheson and Hutson?

I mean, i get that Matheson may (i think it's debatable) be important for us right now but real question his mid/long term, do we keep him?? If not, we have to trade him next summer or at worst, at the last trade deadline of his contract. The worst thing would be losing him for nothing.

I think Matheson's term left if perfect timing for Hutson to develop against men. Matheson's next contract is a trap. He's going to want to cash in and it's a 30+ contract. Hutson should replace him and yeah, I can see us flipping Matheson at some point. We will know a lot more with Hutson after this season.

The real question is what value does Matheson have on the trade market? Today it's at it's highest I believe and even with that, does teams offer us what we think we deserve? Best to flip him as a rental and that could be next offseason or at the 2026 TDL. 1st rounder is a reasonable return. Anything more will be meh adds with low probability of hitting. Difference in value from what we can get today might not be far off what we can get after this season. Should be a bigger gap but I think GM's will low ball us today.

 

[sheed36]

A clip from the episode

https://x.com/i/web/status/1814838484093575408

What a great video and moment for Michael and his family.

When he says to his mom that Montreal is on the phone they were probably talking to the Ducks who according to Madden in their behind the scenes video said that Verbeek started calling all the teams drafting between 19th and 23rd after the 18th pick was made to try and move up for Solberg.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

I think Matheson's term left if perfect timing for Hutson to develop against men. Matheson's next contract is a trap. He's going to want to cash in and it's a 30+ contract. Hutson should replace him and yeah, I can see us flipping Matheson at some point. We will know a lot more with Hutson after this season.

The real question is what value does Matheson have on the trade market? Today it's at it's highest I believe and even with that, does teams offer us what we think we deserve? Best to flip him as a rental and that could be next offseason or at the 2026 TDL. 1st rounder is a reasonable return. Anything more will be meh adds with low probability of hitting. Difference in value from what we can get today might not be far off what we can get after this season. Should be a bigger gap but I think GM's will low ball us today.

I think an analogy is appropriate here. The late George Young, the General Manager of the New York Football Giants, was fond of saying that there were two types of teams in the NFL: those teams who had a franchise quarterback and those who were seeking one. I think that applies to number one defencemen in the NHL.

Going through history, most Stanley Cup winning teams had one, dominant defenceman who could control the pace/tempo of play, play in all game situations and be a major offensive contributor. The names of these types of players are easy to conjure : Harvey, Robinson, Orr, Potvin, Coffey, Lindstrom, Neidermayer, etc.

While not suggesting that Matheson is in these players' category, his skating ability, offensive production, ability to effectively play large minutes each game and durability easily classes him as a clear number one defenceman. Before trading this useful defenceman, I would be certain that I had a valid replacement to assume that critical role on the team. I think it would be greatly counter productive to make any move that would place us at risk of joining all those teams wandering in the dark seeking their wheelhorse defenceman.

If Hutson can become that player, obviously we have more options. But I remain to be convinced that a player of his limited size, who lacks elite skating, can ever effectively fill the role as a number 1 defenceman on our team.

 

[bleuetbio]

People why he didnt got invitation for WJC camp?

 

[overlords]

People why he didnt got invitation for WJC camp?

many speculate it's because he went the NCAA route rather than CHL. politics.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I think an analogy is appropriate here. The late George Young, the General Manager of the New York Football Giants, was fond of saying that there were two types of teams in the NFL: those teams who had a franchise quarterback and those who were seeking one. I think that applies to number one defencemen in the NHL.

Going through history, most Stanley Cup winning teams had one, dominant defenceman who could control the pace/tempo of play, play in all game situations and be a major offensive contributor. The names of these types of players are easy to conjure : Harvey, Robinson, Orr, Potvin, Coffey, Lindstrom, Neidermayer, etc.

While not suggesting that Matheson is in these players' category, his skating ability, offensive production, ability to effectively play large minutes each game and durability easily classes him as a clear number one defenceman. Before trading this useful defenceman, I would be certain that I had a valid replacement to assume that critical role on the team. I think it would be greatly counter productive to make any move that would place us at risk of joining all those teams wandering in the dark seeking their wheelhorse defenceman.

If Hutson can become that player, obviously we have more options. But I remain to be convinced that a player of his limited size, who lacks elite skating, can ever effectively fill the role as a number 1 defenceman on our team.

Guhle can certainly fit that bill though. Versatile and can do pretty much anything at a young age. He will improve in the coming years, especially when he gets to play on the left side again.

This is the thing about our prospect pool, we have so many guys who could become a number one. Hutson, Guhle, RB... that's three. Then we've got Mailloux who has wonderful potential as well.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

People why he didnt got invitation for WJC camp?

Part of it is that he decided on the NCAA route early and stuck to it. They also tend to stay with the kids they already know, and he's never been in the TC program at any level, even U16.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

I think Matheson's term left if perfect timing for Hutson to develop against men. Matheson's next contract is a trap. He's going to want to cash in and it's a 30+ contract. Hutson should replace him and yeah, I can see us flipping Matheson at some point. We will know a lot more with Hutson after this season.

The real question is what value does Matheson have on the trade market? Today it's at it's highest I believe and even with that, does teams offer us what we think we deserve? Best to flip him as a rental and that could be next offseason or at the 2026 TDL. 1st rounder is a reasonable return. Anything more will be meh adds with low probability of hitting. Difference in value from what we can get today might not be far off what we can get after this season. Should be a bigger gap but I think GM's will low ball us today.

Matheson wants to play for the Habs. He may well accept a reasonable deal when this one runs out. And HuGo has to be careful about moving players who want to be in Montreal. When you don't have a draw like a tax free location you have to make sure you do what you can to make your team a desirable destination.

 

[KevSkillz4]

A clip from the episode

https://x.com/i/web/status/1814838484093575408

He will give everything on ice for Habs!! Put that with his high offensive talent, that can be a special player right there!!

 

[rahad]

Matheson wants to play for the Habs. He may well accept a reasonable deal when this one runs out. And HuGo has to be careful about moving players who want to be in Montreal. When you don't have a draw like a tax free location you have to make sure you do what you can to make your team a desirable destination.

He will also want a 3-4 years contract. It would be a big mistake to sign him. We need to make room for Hutson, Reinbacher, Mailloux and maybe 2025 first round pick. We already have Ghule, Harris, Baron, Struble and Arber. Way to many young d to resign Matheson.

His contract end at the perfect time.

 

[tnq]

Is it Hage thread ?

 

[26Mats]

Matheson wants to play for the Habs. He may well accept a reasonable deal when this one runs out. And HuGo has to be careful about moving players who want to be in Montreal. When you don't have a draw like a tax free location you have to make sure you do what you can to make your team a desirable destination.

Hughes didn't give Monahan the long term contract he knew he could get elsewhere, and that will probably be better for us long term. Just too much risk.

We'll see how Matheson does over the next year or two and then what the market will look like in his final year. It's probably safe to give a dman of his skating ability a deal until he's 35. After that it gets risky.

 

[Tyson]

Hughes didn't give Monahan the long term contract he knew he could get elsewhere, and that will probably be better for us long term. Just too much risk.

We'll see how Matheson does over the next year or two and then what the market will look like in his final year. It's probably safe to give a dman of his skating ability a deal until he's 35. After that it gets risky.

We did witness how fast smooth skating Petry declined once he hit 34/35.

Is it Hage thread ?

On a stacked Michigan team can Michael Hage average a PPG this season?

 

[MTL Dirty Birdy]

I would let

I don't hate Matheson but he's taking valuable time on the powerplay from our best prospects. And we have an overload of lefty defensemen. I don't think it's a move that should be rushed, but they have to start thinking about it. We'd still have Savard as a solid mentor and in a weaker position (RD).

i would let Hutson and the other upcoming LDs marinate in the AHL this year. Trade Matheson at the deadline with an extra year on his contract. That should get us. SOLID return if he puts up comparable numbers to last year.

 

[KevSkillz4]

If Dach don't have healthy career. I believe that Suzuki - Hage will be a pretty good combo for many years to come!

 

[Habs]

If Dach don't have healthy career. I believe that Suzuki - Hage will be a pretty good combo for many years to come!

that would be devastating if Dach is a bust, he was/is 5x the prospect Hage is.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

that would be devastating if Dach is a bust, he was/is 5x the prospect Hage is.

He might not even be better than Hage.

 

[Redux91]

He might not even be better than Hage.

Love Hage,
But there is no universe where this is true.