Hockey

Mike Matheson file: Kent Hughes will try to convince him to be reasonable
Mathis Therrien
Mike Matheson file: Kent Hughes will try to convince him to be reasonable
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The Montreal Canadiens' defensive brigade is currently in a very good long-term position, with all the major players under contract for several seasons.

Only two defensemen have no contract beyond this season, and I'm talking about Mike Matheson and Arber Xhekaj.

In Xhekaj's case, it will surely be a small bridge contract, but in Matheson's case, at the age of 31, he will surely want to sign the last big contract of his career.

The Québécois will certainly want to get as much money as possible to end his career on a high note, so it will be interesting to see if he gets along with the Canadiens.

The Habs clearly won't offer him the moon, and they won't take the risk of signing him too long-term for too much money, which could complicate negotiations.

Obviously, both parties want to come to an agreement, and it's clear that Matheson wants to stay in Montreal, but for that to happen, there will have to be compromises on both sides.

Habs general manager Kent Hughes has stated that he will try to convince Matheson to be reasonable in his salary demands.

This is what the Habs GM explained in an interview with Jonathan Bernier of Le Journal de Montréal.

For Kent Hughes, it's obvious that Matheson wants to win, and therefore, that his situation is different now that he's with the Habs compared to when he was in Florida (rebuilding at the time) or Pittsubrgh (on the downhill slope).

If Matheson really wants to win, he'll want to stay in Montreal, perhaps even at a discount, which would help the Habs be even more competitive.

As we saw with Hutson, the Habs' #48 signed for less money than we would have thought in order to help the team win and be as competitive as possible.

Kent Hughes clearly hopes that Matheson will see things the same way, especially considering that he was his former client when he was still an agent, and that he still has a good relationship with him.

This will be a very interesting case to keep an eye on until the end of the year, when it's clear that Kent Hughes will want to settle the matter as quickly as possible.

Matheson is off to a good start this season, with five points, including two goals, in nine games, and he's also developed a nice chemistry with Noah Dobson.

In short, the Québécois is a cornerstone of the Habs defense right now, which will make negotiations much more difficult for Kent Hughes.


Overtime

– Wow.

– Read more.

– Incredible.

– Indeed.

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