Arpon Basu opens the door to Matheson being included in a deal for Necas

In the National Hockey League, you have to give to get.

That’s true for the Canadiens, and it’s just as true for the other NHL teams.

That said, getting Martin Necas out of Carolina would be costly for Kent Hughes.

Several scenarios have been discussed and yesterday, Antoine Roussel – even if he didn’t want to – made headlines for his comments.

He would include Cole Caufield in a deal for Necas, an idea not necessarily popular with everyone in town.

Arpon Basu also discussed the Necas file in a recent piece, and went in a slightly different direction.

The Athletic reporter believes that Mike Matheson could be used by the Habs to acquire Necas, much as Mathias Brunet proposed two weeks ago.

The Hurricanes already count on the services of Jaccob Slavin and Dmitry Orlov on the left, but the addition of an offensive defenseman like Matheson would fill a need in Carolina :

At some point, the Canadiens will be ready to make a big swing on the trade market. But for a second year in a row, it doesn’t make sense just yet because the big names don’t match up with what the Canadiens have to sell. https://t.co/AYfvgmn2lB

– Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 11, 2024

Kent Hughes could take advantage of the congestion on the blue line to trade his veteran and get his hands on a talented young player.

Necas is in his prime, at 25, and has what it takes to help the Habs for several years on the offensive end.

But Matheson isn’t old either, and he plays an important role in the Habs defense.

He’s the guy Martin St-Louis uses most, he plays PP, he’s just collected 62 points in 82 games…

And it’s his annual salary of $4.875 million for the next two seasons that makes him so attractive to a club looking for immediate help.

That said, even if the Habs are full of good left-handed defensemen, I think Kent Hughes has to wait and see what Lane Hutson and the others have up their sleeves.

Kaiden Guhle is probably the only left-handed defenseman with any real value… While Jordan Harris, Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj still have a lot to prove, in my opinion.

In other words, none of these players seem ready to take on a top-4 role next year, and that’s where the problem lies in my eyes.

But the opportunity to get your hands on a player like Necas, you don’t see that every day.

Kent Hughes will have to scratch his itch, and he’ll have to think seriously about it, even if we know Matheson’s value to Montreal.

Overtime

– The OHL has a new commissioner.

The OHL has appointed Bryan Crawford as Incoming Commissioner.

– David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 12, 2024