Montreal Canadiens: Michael Matheson Trade Looks Much Better After One Year

The Montreal Canadiens knew Jeff Petry wanted out at this time last year. He apparently wanted out of Montreal much earlier than that, but a deal could not be found at the trade deadline.

That was probably because the 2021-22 Canadiens struggled mightily and Petry himself was not immune to the overwhelming blanket of misery that covered the team that season. He played his worst hockey in a decade, and it was during the first year of his four year contract extension, so finding a trade partner proved difficult.

Considering the Habs finished last in the NHL in 2021-22, fans were hoping a Petry trade would be a futures deal where the team would acquire a first round pick or a top prospect in return. That was not how it turned out.

The Pittsburgh Penguins eventually pulled the trigger on a Petry deal, acquiring the veteran right shooting defenseman on July 16 with Ryan Poehling in exchange for Michael Matheson and a 4th round pick.

It wasn’t exactly the haul of picks and prospects that some of us hoped for, and the return initially felt a little underwhelming. Becoming more familiar with Matheson’s game in the past year has shown he is a much better all-around defenseman than previously thought. He had eight goals and 34 points in 48 games with the Canadiens last season, and was just fine in his own end as well.

Meanwhile, Petry and Poehling didn’t exactly light it up in Pittsburgh. Poehling was a restricted free agent at the end of the season but they chose not to give him a qualifying offer and allowed him to leave as a free agent instead. He just signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers for $1.4 million.

It sounds like the Pens wanted to move Petry as well. Kyle Dubas took over as the team’s new general manager and appears to be trying to undo a few mistakes from the past regime. Rob Rossi of The Athletic reported Petry was on the trade block but with two more years at $6.25 million, the Penguins have not found a taker.

It was tough seeing Petry head out the door last summer, since he had played so well for the Canadiens for nearly a decade. When they also had to give up Poehling to get Matheson, who had recently struggled with the Florida Panthers, it didn’t feel like the best deal for the Canadiens.

Fast forward one season and the Canadiens ended up with a top pairing two-way defender while the Penguins let Poehling walk and would let Petry do the same if they could get rid of his cap hit.

One of Kent Hughes first big trades with the Canadiens is starting to look like a home run.

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