Hockey

Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson at the Olympics: Jean-François Chaumont opens the door
Pablo Herrera-Vergara
Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson at the Olympics: Jean-François Chaumont opens the door
Credit: Getty Images

Last night, Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong was on hand at the Bell Centre to watch the Habs take on the Flyers. His assistant, Don Sweeney, was also there.

They didn't come as tourists, they were taking notes for the Olympic line-up. All eyes were on Nick Suzuki, who stood out once again, and Samuel Montembeault, the third-choice goalie from the last edition of Team Canada.

But behind the scenes, Noah Dobson and Mike Matheson could also be options for the Canadiens. Jean-François Chaumont of the Journal de Montréal opened the door to this possibility.

Chaumont talks about the fact that, in a short tournament like this, duos who know each other have an advantage. That's the case with Devon Toews and Cale Makar, who play together in Colorado.

In the case of Matheson and Dobson, not only do they form a pair with the Habs, they also have the advantage of having played together at the last Worlds in May for the Unifolies.

Since the start of the season, they've been extremely solid, but like most of the team, they didn't perform well yesterday.

In my opinion, if there's one of the two defensemen who makes it into the line-up, it'll be Dobson. The right-handed defenseman has brought stability to the Habs, and Matheson benefits greatly from it. It's never spectacular, but it's very effective.

As for the advantage of playing together, I don't think it necessarily applies to them, because their pairing isn't that old. I have no doubt that a player like Dobson can quickly adjust to a defenseman like Josh Morrissey, for example. And as we saw at the 4 Nations Cup, players this talented don't need much time to build chemistry.


Overtime

– Pretty solid thanks.

– Suzuki, a candidate for the Selke.

[IHeartRadio]

– What a feat!

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