Skip to content
Y
o
u
r
 
d
a
i
l
y
 
d
o
s
e
 
o
f
 
h
o
c
k
e
y
Mathias Brunet would offer $20M over four years to Mike Matheson
Credit: Getty Images

In the heartbreaking loss to the Avalanche on Saturday, the Habs didn’t know what to do at the end of the third period.

The big guns were containing the Habs in their defensive territory, but Samuel Montembeault and the defense held up.

Alexandre Carrier was excellent on defense, but his partner on the blue line, Mike Matheson, was just as effective.

The veteran seems to have understood his new role since the arrival of Lane Hutson and he’s taking it very well.

I’d say the Habs fans also appreciate Matheson’s work a lot, even if he’s not producing as much offensively as last year.

Although he’s starting to get older (31 years old), he still has very good hockey to give.

His agent believes his chances of staying with the team at the end of his contract next year are very good, thanks to his skating, which will allow him to keep up with the pace even in a few years.

his daily column in The Return of the Athletes.

He talked about Matheson, among other things, and would even be willing to offer him $20 million over four years.

When you think about it, it makes sense.

He’s in his thirties, but that’s not going to slow down the Québécois. His skating is well above average for a defenseman of his age and he’ll be able to keep up with the best players for a while.

At $5 million per year until he’s 35, it sounds more than reasonable, considering he can still play on the second powerplay unit and log big defensive minutes.

Plus, you need veterans, especially on the blue line, to surround a core as young and talented as this one.

David Savard excels in this mentor role for young players and has clearly improved the quality of play of players like Arber Xhekaj by playing with them.

However, Savard is already 34 years old and his body is much more worn out than Matheson’s. He was never a speed merchant either, which means he won’t be able to play in the NHL for much longer.

By securing Matheson for four years at a reasonable salary, he would bring the presence of a veteran that Savard won’t be able to provide for much longer.

You also can’t forget that Matheson is from Montreal and could easily accept a lower salary to stay close to his family and possibly even finish his career there.

In short, it’s something to think about.


Overtime

– Very interesting. Dobes seems to have a clear difficulty with high shots.

– Former Habs defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic got the message from Sheldon Keefe.

– The star player temporarily left the game after being hit in the face with a puck, but everything seems fine for the Finn.

– Interesting fact, defenseman Adam Boqvist was used on the right wing for the game against the Blue Jackets (his former team) and picked up two points in the game.

More Content