Player Discussion Mike Matheson

[Mrb1p]

It'd be nice to trade him for a good return so I don't have to watch him spend entire powerplays with his back turned to Slaf for the next two years.

It would also be nice to not have another Gallagher/Petry/Anderson situation.

 

[Heffyhoof]

It would also be nice to not have another Gallagher/Petry/Anderson situation.

Yeah, if it's not this TDL, it should probably be at the draft because his value will likely never be higher.

 

[The Great Weal]

It would also be nice to not have another Gallagher/Petry/Anderson situation.

I don't think we will extend him. Also, I'm not sure he'd fetch a crazy amount on the market. Teams likely know about his issues the same way they know about Ghost's issues who went for a 3rd in 2026.

 

[Habs13]

I think the smart move is to explore trades for both Matheson and Savard - both are about as valuable as they will ever be and won't be what they are now by the time Montreal is ready to contend. Lets get back some decent prospects and failing that, some good picks.

 

[Mrb1p]

I don't think we will extend him. Also, I'm not sure he'd fetch a crazy amount on the market. Teams likely know about his issues the same way they know about Ghost's issues who went for a 3rd in 2026.

Id say Orlov return - retention is more likely. Gost was coming off a very bad stretch.

 

[BaseballCoach]

It'd be nice to trade him for a good return so I don't have to watch him spend entire powerplays with his back turned to Slaf for the next two years.

Power Play has been among the best ih the league since December. Today, the Rangers were covering Slaf a lot more than other teams have.

 

[Nicko999]

Congrats to Mike Matheson on hitting 40 pts and becoming the first Gorton/Hughes era player to hit that mark.

 

[Shutdown]

i don't understand the rush to want to get rid of Matheson. his contract expires in 2026. are the Habs going to be in a position to contend for a cup in 2026? probably not. they'll probably be at the beginning of their playoff window, still looking to add veteran pieces along with some of the 2022-2024 draftees taking more prominent roles.

Matheson's game is pretty flawed but he serves his purpose in playing big minutes and insulating the young core, and he's relatively cheap. the only way i see him being moved before 2026 is if by the end of the 2025 season Hutson proves he can at least handle a second pairing even-strength workload on top of QBing the first PP unit.

 

[Mrb1p]

i don't understand the rush to want to get rid of Matheson. his contract expires in 2026. are the Habs going to be in a position to contend for a cup in 2026? probably not. they'll probably be at the beginning of their playoff window, still looking to add veteran pieces along with some of the 2022-2024 draftees taking more prominent roles.

Matheson's game is pretty flawed but he serves his purpose in playing big minutes and insulating the young core, and he's relatively cheap. the only way i see him being moved before 2026 is if by the end of the 2025 season Hutson proves he can at least handle a second pairing even-strength workload on top of QBing the first PP unit.

The rush is that hes f***ing awful and producing like hes not awful. Hes worth much more on the market than his actual market value. Hes like Dogecoins in 2020. We can hold for no particular reason and lose all market value, or we can sell high.

Ive demonstrated more than once that hes not actually used to insulate anyone. In fact, Guhle is the one used to insulate this D core. If the argument is that we cant expose young players, it goes out the window the second we consider Guhles deployment.

Tl;dr : cash out, the Habs have depth at LD and will be more than fine.

Guhe-Savard
Xhekaj-Kovacevic
Struble-Harris

Voilà.

 

[Shutdown]

The rush is that hes f***ing awful and producing like hes not awful. Hes worth much more on the market than his actual market value. Hes like Dogecoins in 2020. We can hold for no particular reason and lose all market value, or we can sell high.

Ive demonstrated more than once that hes not actually used to insulate anyone. In fact, Guhle is the one used to insulate this D core. If the argument is that we cant expose young players, it goes out the window the second we consider Guhles deployment.

Tl;dr : cash out, the Habs have depth at LD and will be more than fine.

Guhe-Savard
Xhekaj-Kovacevic
Struble-Harris

Voilà.

who's your #7 in this scenario? i like having the ability to rotate between Harris and Kovacevic in the press box when everyone's healthy because i don't see them as part of the future core.

Xhekaj and Struble are still in the thick of it development-wise, there's going to be plenty of nights where they're playing 12-14 minutes. also not accounting for the inevitable 40-60 games missed due to injuries spread across your d-core.

are you going out and getting another veteran presence for the second pairing when you lose 2 of these guys? throwing a struble/mailloux pairing out there?

 

[26Mats]

The rush is that hes f***ing awful and producing like hes not awful. Hes worth much more on the market than his actual market value. Hes like Dogecoins in 2020. We can hold for no particular reason and lose all market value, or we can sell high.

Ive demonstrated more than once that hes not actually used to insulate anyone. In fact, Guhle is the one used to insulate this D core. If the argument is that we cant expose young players, it goes out the window the second we consider Guhles deployment.

Tl;dr : cash out, the Habs have depth at LD and will be more than fine.

Guhe-Savard
Xhekaj-Kovacevic
Struble-Harris

Voilà.

I'm not sure how high his value is. It would be interesting to see. But he's producing like Gostisbere, who doen't really have that much trade value. Matheson does have more trade value than another point producing dman though: Erik Gustavsson.

 

[Mrb1p]

who's your #7 in this scenario? i like having the ability to rotate between Harris and Kovacevic in the press box when everyone's healthy because i don't see them as part of the future core.

Xhekaj and Struble are still in the thick of it development-wise, there's going to be plenty of nights where they're playing 12-14 minutes. also not accounting for the inevitable 40-60 games missed due to injuries spread across your d-core.

are you going out and getting another veteran presence for the second pairing when you lose 2 of these guys? throwing a struble/mailloux pairing out there?

It doesnt matter whos the #7. It also doesnt matter if theyre not part of the future, Matheson isnt part of the future either. Leap in logic.

Theres 30 games left to the season and everyone healthy, no reason to believe well have 40-60 games of injuries to cover.

Next year they can sign a cheap vet UFA like Demelo or spend the money on an actual good vet like Pesce, Walker or Roy.

By playing a lot the D core will just be further along at the same time. Xhekaj and Struble need to see reps on the PK if theyre going to be NHL regular, better early than late.

I'm not sure how high his value is. It would be interesting to see. But he's producing like Gostisbere, who doen't really have that much trade value. Matheson does have more trade value than another point producing dman though: Erik Gustavsson.

Gostisbehere was coming off a very bad stretch of ~100 games when he got traded and hes a smurf. Matheson for all his faults, is still 6'2 and skates like the wind and has had the best production of his career.

Matter of fact, Gostisbehere is exactly a counter example of why keeping Matheson is a bad idea. When he regresses, hes not gonna be worth a dime. For all the hate I have in my heart for Matheson, hes still a NHL regular, something Gustaffson is not.

 

[26Mats]

It doesnt matter whos the #7. It also doesnt matter if theyre not part of the future, Matheson isnt part of the future either. Leap in logic.

Theres 30 games left to the season and everyone healthy, no reason to believe well have 40-60 games of injuries to cover.

Next year they can sign a cheap vet UFA like Demelo or spend the money on an actual good vet like Pesce, Walker or Roy.

By playing a lot the D core will just be further along at the same time. Xhekaj and Struble need to see reps on the PK if theyre going to be NHL regular, better early than late.

Gostisbehere was coming off a very bad stretch of ~100 games when he got traded and hes a smurf. Matheson for all his faults, is still 6'2 and skates like the wind and has had the best production of his career.

Matter of fact, Gostisbehere is exactly a counter example of why keeping Matheson is a bad idea. When he regresses, hes not gonna be worth a dime. For all the hate I have in my heart for Matheson, hes still a NHL regular, something Gustaffson is not.

I'm not talking about whether we should trade Matheson or not. I'm talking about his trade value. Right now Ghost is producing. I still don't think he has that much trade value. Matheson probably has more value. But how much more? I question that.

Matheson is still a wild card, not what contending teams are out looking for. Maybe a team on the rise like Detroit take a look at him. Columbus went after Severson and Provorov. But those move were done by arguably the worst GM in the league - now a former GM.

 

[OldCraig71]

Looks like Bobby Orr on one shift, looks like a beer leaguer on the next lol.

 

[Mrb1p]

Looks like Bobby Orr on one shift, looks like a beer leaguer on the next lol.

Thats insulting to Bobby and the average beer leaguer.

 

[Shutdown]

It doesnt matter whos the #7. It also doesnt matter if theyre not part of the future, Matheson isnt part of the future either. Leap in logic.

Theres 30 games left to the season and everyone healthy, no reason to believe well have 40-60 games of injuries to cover.

Next year they can sign a cheap vet UFA like Demelo or spend the money on an actual good vet like Pesce, Walker or Roy.

By playing a lot the D core will just be further along at the same time. Xhekaj and Struble need to see reps on the PK if theyre going to be NHL regular, better early than late.

Harris is out so not everyone's healthy.
i don't get why it doesn't matter who the number 7 is. if you don't have a viable one, you're calling up a guy like Norlinder who also isn't part of the future and on top of that, exposes our young D when he is in the lineup. you can't even effectively bring in a guy like Reinbacher without throwing him to the wolves.

i get trying to maximize value but you get rid of Matheson this year and you're hanging everyone out to dry. the goal isn't to tank Buffalo style - you still need vets in the lineup.

 

[Mrb1p]

Harris is out so not everyone's healthy.
i don't get why it doesn't matter who the number 7 is. if you don't have a viable one, you're calling up a guy like Norlinder who also isn't part of the future and on top of that, exposes our young D when he is in the lineup. you can't even effectively bring in a guy like Reinbacher without throwing him to the wolves.

i get trying to maximize value but you get rid of Matheson this year and you're hanging everyone out to dry. the goal isn't to tank Buffalo style - you still need vets in the lineup.

Im talking about this year, it doesnt matter because the seaspns over in a month and a half.

Next year they need to sign a vet for sure. Id use the money saved on Mathesons trade to go for Pesce and hope he finds his game again, if not too expensive.

 

[Garnet76]

I'm not that interested in trading Savard or Matheson this year. The defense is young and needs veteran experience to do the heavy lifting. If you trade these players Montreal will have to replace them (likely UFA'S) which will be with players on longer contracts and these players will stand in the way of the young players when they are ready. I would rather hold off on trading them until next year's deadline. That gives some time to see how the young dman in the system progress in the next year.

 

[Shutdown]

Im talking about this year, it doesnt matter because the seaspns over in a month and a half.

Next year they need to sign a vet for sure. Id use the money saved on Mathesons trade to go for Pesce and hope he finds his game again, if not too expensive.

i'm also talking about this year. you get rid of Matheson and this is your line up, as it stands, with injuries

Guhle
Struble-Savard
Xhekaj-Kovacevic

so you go with Guhle-Kovacevic on the first pair? Xhekaj-Mailloux on the third? i just don't see how that's beneficial for anyone. they're gonna get eaten alive. even if it's only for 2 months.

i know we won't agree on Matheson's value but i really think that it's worth sacrificing a potential asset return to keep your young guys in a position to improve incrementally.

edit: the same argument applies to anyone wanting to get rid of Savard this year. it's just not the time. it's not like trading away Monahan. you can decimate a forward group through trading for assets and it won't affect the young guys' development nearly as much as it would to a d-core.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Really entertaining player. I don’t know if I’m more entertained by his marvellous offense or his comedic defence. Either way, he’s fun to watch.

 

[Habs13]

i'm also talking about this year. you get rid of Matheson and this is your line up, as it stands, with injuries

Guhle
Struble-Savard
Xhekaj-Kovacevic

so you go with Guhle-Kovacevic on the first pair? Xhekaj-Mailloux on the third? i just don't see how that's beneficial for anyone. they're gonna get eaten alive. even if it's only for 2 months.

i know we won't agree on Matheson's value but i really think that it's worth sacrificing a potential asset return to keep your young guys in a position to improve incrementally.

edit: the same argument applies to anyone wanting to get rid of Savard this year. it's just not the time. it's not like trading away Monahan. you can decimate a forward group through trading for assets and it won't affect the young guys' development nearly as much as it would to a d-core.

I mean... Matheson is good of solo offense. Won't pass. Fires low-chance shots instead and is a flat out liability of defense. I don't think he would be missed at ALL on the defensive side of things.

 

[calder candidate]

Matheson make mistake but if you watch other team you see that all top Dmen make mistake.
He also isn't the greatest QB for the power play but he is still above average.
Matheson is a elite skater, he can keep up with anyone, he isn't fallin off the cliff in the next 2 season.
There no need to rush a trade...

He playing over 25min per game against the top lines... 5th TOI, 21st SHTOI, 18th BS, 11Th in Pts, with at least a couple guy in front of him that are worst defensively. Matheson is a first paring D on about 24 teams he isn't just having a good season he been a legit top 4 most of is career.

Even if he is just a top 4D, how many proven Top 4D till in their prime make less than 5M$ for the next 2 seasons? that contract is low AAV and only paid prime years, that has to be one of the best deal in the NHL.

Anyone can be traded but it would need a CRAZY offer to me to consider it moving Matheson, he is performing like a Top D, is contract is fantastic, he also insulate our young D, it will give us some time to see how Guhle (who is prone to injuries) progress and what is salary demand will be for is next deal... Matheson or Guhle can play RD, there is zero rush to make a move.

He is being ask to do too much right now, ideally he be closer to 21min with 2nd PP, 2nd PK, but he is doing a pretty good job.

Who would you rather have?
29yo Rielly 7.5M$ for 6 more years or 29yo Matheson 4.85M$ for the next 2 seasons,
Base on Stat these guys are not too far apart Rielly has 3 more pts on a a top5 team (in scoring), playing almost 0 PK... clearly Rielly has a better track record for producing pts but I wouldn't say that Rielly is better on D,
If you look at the contract Matheson make almost half the money and with only 2 more years it won't pay him pass his prime , not sure 35yo Rielly will be worth 7.5M$...

 

[HuGort]

I think the smart move is to explore trades for both Matheson and Savard - both are about as valuable as they will ever be and won't be what they are now by the time Montreal is ready to contend. Lets get back some decent prospects and failing that, some good picks.

Got to have quality veterans though. They good influence on youth. Takes a mix. If blown away I would trade Matheson or Savard.

Matheson I ask for 2 first. No retention. If they want to send bad contract back will take more. According to how big contract is.

A first and solid prospect I would ask for Savard. Toffoli type return. No retention. If they want retention I would ask for a future 2nd.

 

[Archijerej]

Seems like he's the only defenceman on the roster capable of fending off a forecheck. This team would be comically bad without him.

 

[Shutdown]

I mean... Matheson is good of solo offense. Won't pass. Fires low-chance shots instead and is a flat out liability of defense. I don't think he would be missed at ALL on the defensive side of things.

he still plays 25 minutes a night. so yeah, they'd miss him