Mike Matheson had played six seasons in the NHL before arriving in Montreal last summer. Acquired by the Canadiens in the Jeff Petry trade, the Quebec native was not just getting the opportunity to come and play for his hometown team, he was also getting the chance to be the guy. Previously, Matheson was always considered a second-pairing guy in Florida and Pittsburgh, and a pretty darn good one at that. But in Montreal, Matheson has gotten the chance to be the Canadiens’ number one defenseman.
And Matheson has put that opportunity to good use, playing well in the bleu, blanc et rouge. Unfortunately, Matheson has missed a significant amount of time this year, but when healthy, he’s been the Canadiens’ best defenseman. The 29-year-old is currently leading the Canadiens in ice time at 24:17 and is playing maybe the best hockey of his career. Moreover, he’s making the most of the opportunity the Canadiens are providing him.
Smooth moves from Mike Matheson 🕺 pic.twitter.com/44vPNXDsIU
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 6, 2023
Matheson has been solid all season long, but particularly in the month of March, he’s taken his game to another level. In 13 games, the defenseman has 12 points (4 goals and 8 assists), with still three left to play. And that shouldn’t be surprising to anyone watching the games because Matheson is flying out there, constantly making smart plays with the puck and using his speed to cause problems for the other teams. Let’s look at a good example of this.
On the first of Rafael Harvey-Pinard’s three goals on Saturday night, we can see Matheson’s speed on full display. He catches the Blue Jackets defender flat-footed and breaks in on net, ultimately getting stropped before Harvey-Pinard cashed in on the rebound. Sure, Matheson wasn’t trying to set up Harvey-Pinard, but he did create a scoring chance using his greatest weapon. And he’s done that often this season and even more so during the last month.
It’s funny; Matheson’s breakout year is somewhat reminiscent of the man he was traded for in Jeff Petry. Both players were already approaching 30 years old by the time they arrived in Montreal, with Matheson being 28 and Petry 27. In today’s NHL, it almost seems rare to have players that age breakout. It’s become almost commonplace for players in their early 20s to enter their prime. But not for these two. Their peaks both came later.
A lot of talk this season has been about the youth in the Canadiens lineup, and rightfully so. However, some attention must be shined on these veterans performing well under challenging circumstances. For example, Matheson has battled injuries and is playing on a team that is not heading to the playoffs. Yet this late in the season, he’s taken his game to another level and is providing the Canadiens with a steady veteran presence on the backend. One that makes Joel Edmundson expendable, a good thing given the loaded left-side of the blue line the Canadiens currently possess.
Ideally, this level of play rubs off on the younger players, especially Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron. I think Barron has the skating and puck skills to play a similar style to Matheson, and using similar moves and methods, like the one Matheson showed on Saturday Night, could go a long way for Barron. And while I’ve loved what Kaiden Guhle has done in his rookie season, I want to see his offensive game continue to develop as well.
Matheson has a solid chance to set a new career high in points this season. His current career high is 31 points, set in 74 games last year. Currently, the Canadiens defenseman has 28 points in just 39 games, and if he keeps this level of play up, he’ll reach a new high. It’s also worth mentioning that Matheson has more points than Jeff Petry this season despite playing in fewer games. I don’t want to outright say the Canadiens won that trade, but the Habs certainly did well for themselves, getting the cheaper, younger player. Let’s hope Matheson can continue to play this way.
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