Mike Matheson
Mike Matheson is another player the Canadiens acquired, but must not have known exactly what they had landed in the deal.
Matheson was a first round pick of the Florida Panthers and looked good there initially but struggled before being shipped to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Patric Hornqvist in a kind of change of scenery trade involving big contracts.
When he arrived in Montreal, it was assumed by Pittsburgh they had upgraded their defense by bringing in Petry but that did not prove to be the case. While Petry struggled in Pittsburgh, Matheson flourished in Montreal.
This season, Matheson is tied for 12th among defensemen in points with 34 on seven goals and 27 assists. He is also 5th among all skaters in ice time in the NHL this season. In an All-Star game you want players that gamble offensively and don't really care about the defensive side of the game as much and Mike Matheson is perfectly cut out for that role.
He can carry the puck up ice with tremendous speed and create offense by driving to the net himself or setting up a teammate with a cross ice pass.
Looking at the All-Star rosters and incredibly there are only four defensemen involved. Four teams will be drafted by team captains to pick the teams and it appears there will be one defender on each team.
Wouldn't it make more sense to have about four more defenders? Matheson playing in the game while Boone Jenner, who has 18 points in 34 games stays home would make a lot more sense.