As the Montreal Canadiens enter this 25-26 season, one of the areas of their lineup that has seen drastic improvement over the offseason is their blueline. It was a part of the lineup they needed to address after a playoff series loss against the Washington Capitals that proved upgrades on the back end were necessary.
The big move the Habs made this summer was bringing in Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders. With this acquisition, Montreal has a true top pair defenseman to compliment their Calder winner Lane Hutson. Dobson will be a valuable asset on the Canadiens D core; he will be expected to log heavy minutes and play in all situations.
With this acquisition, this leaves a veteran Montreal dman likely on the outside looking in after this season. Via Rob Couch of “NHLTradeRumors,” he expects the Canadiens to part ways with Mike Matheson after the 25-26 year is up.
Why would Montreal move on from Matheson?
Mike Matheson has played in the slot Noah Dobson will likely take over this season throughout his Montreal tenure. The 31 year old vet has been a part of the Habs organization since the 22-23 season, with the highlight of his time as a Canadien being the 23-24 season in which he amassed 62 points patrolling the blueline.
This year will be the last one on Matheson’s current deal with the Canadiens. He is coming off a season in which struggled in his usual role as a powerplay quarterback, while rookie Lane Hutson flourished. The Habs felt the need to provide their rising young phenom with more support, adding Noah Dobson to the fold. As a result of this move, Matheson’s minutes will be reduced heavily this year with his role diminished.
Depending on how this upcoming campaign unfolds, the Habs will be faced with the question of whether Matheson is still needed on their defensive core as they weigh whether or not to extend him. We’ll see how Matheson plays on this new look Montreal defense and if he can convince the Canadiens staff to keep him around past this season or if he moves on elsewhere.
