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The role of Matheson has changed because of Lane Hutson and that’s okay
Marc-Olivier Cook
The role of Matheson has changed because of Lane Hutson and that’s okay
Credit: Getty Images

The arrival of Lane Hutson has had an impact on the rest of the Montreal Canadiens’ defensive brigade.

For example?

This means that Mike Matheson’s role has changed. He no longer plays on the first powerplay unit, but that doesn’t mean he’s not helping the Habs anymore.

Matheson was still used for over 26 minutes (26:35) last night against the Avalanche. His job was to neutralize Nathan MacKinnon… and since the NHL’s top scorer was held off the score sheet, we can say he succeeded in his mission.

He spoke like a good veteran:

Mike Matheson was on RDS L’Antichambre tonight and he was asked if it was tough when coach Marty replaced him on Habs PP1 with Lane Hutson
byu/Go_Habs_Go31 inHabs

But the arrival of Lane Hutson also has an impact on the rest of the defense.

The young defenseman was used for almost 29 minutes (28:51) because Martin St-Louis can trust him.

This takes away playing time from guys like David Savard and Arber Xhekaj… and that’s okay too. Because we agree that this pair is not the most reliable on the ice: Arber has his weaknesses and it’s crazy how much Savard is slowing down. He’s no longer the David Savard of old…

With Alexandre Carrier excelling and Jayden Struble playing good hockey lately, we’ll have to wonder what Martin St-Louis’ plan will be when Kaiden Guhle returns.

We’ll have to take out a guy… but who will have to sit?

Can the Habs afford to take out a guy like Savard, who’s not afraid to block any shot?

Can the Habs afford to take out a guy like Xhekaj, who brings the element of toughness to the lineup?

It should really come down to these two if we consider that they are the two defensemen with the least impact on the team right now.

But it’s still a nice puzzle…

(Credit: ESPN)

Again, it’s crazy how much the arrival of Lane Hutson changes things.

Lane is so good that Martin St-Louis is forced to use him more than others… But it’s also nice to have Mike Matheson in the lineup because both guys are useful in their respective roles.

It’s interesting what’s happening with the Habs’ defense right now. And it might get even more interesting when Kaiden Guhle returns…


In Overtime

– Well done.

– Oh!

– Good reading.

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