Player Discussion Mike Matheson

[JianYang]

He seems to be a very competitive guy and surprisingly plays at his best when he's giving a ton of minutes.

I'm scared that he'll end like Petry though, completely burnt out. There's no way in hell he's going to be able to play at this rate going into the 2nd half of the season.

Is our 3rd pairing really only going to play 12 minutes a night until Savard/Guhle comes back?!

I dont know if petry ever got burnt out. He was actually on fire when msl was hired and ended his career with the Habs on a high note from an individual standpoint.

Alot of guys responded positively after the coaching change, and aside from caufield, I don't think anyone was a bigger benefactor than petry at the time.

 

[Jaynki]

Are you saying that there are 30 good teams in the NHL?

Good point.

I think Matheson can be a top-2D on a contender tho.

He is that good.

 

[Le Tricolore]

Good point.

I think Matheson can be a top-2D on a contender tho.

He is that good.

He's at worst a 3D on a good team, but I could definitely see him being a #2 if the team has good partner that'll allow him to make mistakes like PK had with Markov, for example.

 

[VirginiaMtlExpat]

That monahan deal is also going to pay further dividends if he can somehow remain healthy. That should yield an interesting pick at the deadline.

My take on that goes against the grain among posters. I'd rather he be signed long-term (say 4-5 years), at 28, if it looks like his hip and groin problems are now manageable. We may not get a comparable player toward the end of the first round. But of course, I'm malleable, depending on what else comes our way.

 

[BaseballCoach]

My take on that goes against the grain among posters. I'd rather he be signed long-term (say 4-5 years), at 28, if it looks like his hip and groin problems are now manageable. We may not get a comparable player toward the end of the first round. But of course, I'm malleable, depending on what else comes our way.

Monahan just turned 29.

If not for the injury concern, who would not want a guy like this?

I'd do 2-3 years at Dvorak money. Anything longer would have to start dropping in AAV.

Matheson will make some really great plays, but also often tries to do too much and messes up badly. He's fun to watch but certainly wouldn't be on a good team's top pairing.

Larry Robinson made one or two gaffes per game and was a Hall of Fame first balloter.

 

[26Mats]

Good point.

I think Matheson can be a top-2D on a contender tho.

He is that good.

He started slowly. But he's starting to hit his stride.

He's someone you have to live with some mistakes early in the year as he's getting in his groove.

 

[BaseballCoach]

I've been frustrated with Matheson because he's had some really bad gaffes with the puck and has had some bad reads in the D zone, but I'm glad that as time has gone on the good side of him has shown, and the powerplay suddenly has a faintest sign of life.

He really is like Petry its too perfect that they were traded for one another. I think once our youngsters start to shoulder the load (so he doesn't have to play 28mins a game) he will look better and better. I'm ready to live with the imperfections because he's being asked to play above his station right now.

When Guhle's 21 minutes replaces Lindstrom's 12, some of the nine minutes picked up can come from Matheson. I'd love him to be at 22-24.

 

[Jaynki]

He's at worst a 3D on a good team, but I could definitely see him being a #2 if the team has good partner that'll allow him to make mistakes like PK had with Markov, for example.

He is a 1D.

He plays the minutes and he plays them in a high quality fashion.

 

[Scriptor]

When Guhle's 21 minutes replaces Lindstrom's 12, some of the nine minutes picked up can come from Matheson. I'd love him to be at 22-24.

Agree that 28-30 minutes is too much.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Agree that 28-30 minutes is too much.

He is averaging 26.

He played 28 out of 64 yesterday.

We've had 3 OT games so far out of seven. Excluding them, he is at 24.5 minutes per 60.

 

[Rapala]

Two decent PP's were killed when he lifted his eyes instead of holding the blue. We can't have that. Basic stuff really.

 

[Sorinth]

He is a 1D.

He plays the minutes and he plays them in a high quality fashion.

High quality is a bit of a stretch. He's been a mixed bag in terms of quality minutes this season, but that could very well be a case of too many minutes. Combined this season and last year Matheson is 11th in TOI/GP at 24:39, number 32 is Seider at 23:06. The real question for Matheson is will cutting his ice time by a minute thirty help him cut down on his mistakes. If the answer is yes then he's probably a legit 1st pairing guy, if it's no then he's probably more of a #3 whose played like a #1.

 

[Frankenheimer]

Matheson would most definitely slot into the first paring of a lot of teams. That’s separate from whatever standard people come up with for defining a 1D, but this difference should be noted. He is a 1D and would be on a lot of teams, especially paired with a more stay at home 1D.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Two decent PP's were killed when he lifted his eyes instead of holding the blue. We can't have that. Basic stuff really.

That's harsh. One of them was an unexpected last second bounce. Happens to everyone.

 

[BaseballCoach]

He is a 1D.

He plays the minutes and he plays them in a high quality fashion.

There was a game last year where Matheson played 26 minutes (OT against Islanders), killed off an entire 2 minute penalty in OVERTIME, after which he stole the puck from Barzal (!), jumped forward to grab it and feed Hoffman coming out of the box 60 feet ahead of him, then still had the wheels to beat guys up ice swiftly and score on the rebound.

He does make mistakes from time to time, but he works very hard to repair them, and usually succeeds somehow. In my youth, Robinson played like that too. Most of the time, driving offence from the back end has better odds of getting good results than 'playing it safe'.

 

[Walrus26]

He's basically prime Habs Petry with a bit less muscle and even better skating. Out-of-your-seat level skating. The best version of Matheson is definitely a first-pairing D.

 

[Habssince89]

He's basically prime Habs Petry with a bit less muscle and even better skating. Out-of-your-seat level skating. The best version of Matheson is definitely a first-pairing D.

honestly Petry might be bigger and can have a physical impact on the game, but MM is pretty physical too and I don't think its a huge drop off in quality that way

 

[BozoTheClown]

Another excellent trade by Hughes for getting this guy. 40 points in 56 games with the Habs.

 

[Walrus26]

Delete

 

[overlords]

Another excellent trade by Hughes for getting this guy. 40 points in 56 games with the Habs.

 

[26Mats]

Two decent PP's were killed when he lifted his eyes instead of holding the blue. We can't have that. Basic stuff really.

Pp's been great with him recently as qb.

 

[Rapala]

Pp's been great with him recently as qb.

Except for the BOBBLES. Ghule is better both ways and it's been two years I've been saying it. He just sees the game better and makes quicker decisions with the puck.

 

[26Mats]

Except for the BOBBLES. Ghule is better both ways and it's been two years I've been saying it. He just sees the game better and makes quicker decisions with the puck.

Matheson's been showing more killer instinct back there lately, less useless silly rallying every time he receives a pass before he starts to try to make a play.

 

[ZUKI]

Except for the BOBBLES. Ghule is better both ways and it's been two years I've been saying it. He just sees the game better and makes quicker decisions with the puck.

40 points in 56 games for Matheson. Give some time to Guhle before claiming that he's better both ways.
I am happy anyway that Habs get both of them.

 

[Jaynki]

40 points in 56 games for Matheson. Give some time to Guhle before claiming that he's better both ways.
I am happy anyway that Habs get both of them.

Exactly, we have both and both are playing at 1D level right now. Probably a big reason why we have this start this season.