The Mike Matheson extension brings stability, options and clarity

The rumours around the Mike Matheson extension started at an unexpected time and in an unexpected place: June 24 in Buffalo, New York. The annual NHL prospect combine was taking place, and Matheson travelled and spent an hour and a half discussing his wish to stay with the team with Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes.

Five months after those initial talks in the city of the Sabres, the Habs extended Matheson to a five-year $30 million extension – worth an AAV of $6 million. The deal includes three years of a full No-Movement Clause, and the final two years each carry a Modified No-Trade Clause.

It’s almost poetic that this signing comes on the four-year anniversary of the firing of former GM Marc Bergevin and AGM Trevor Timmins. Matheson represents, in a way, the ethos of the Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton-led rebuild. A player who has had to rebuild how he plays along the blueline, from offensively minded to a more defensive role, but most importantly, a player who has committed his career to doing things the right way.

The deal shows Matheson’s strong desire to stay with Montreal through their contention window, taking a raise to be sure, but almost definitely would have demanded a pretty penny should he have decided to test the waters of free agency. It would not have been surprising to see teams offer upwards of seven or eight million dollars a year for him on the open market.

Through 23 games played, Matheson has four goals and 11 assists during the 2025-2026 campaign. Matheson’s highest scoring season was 2022-2023 where he accumulated 11 goals and 51 assists for 63 points.

The same day of his signing in a 4-1 victory over the Golden Knights, Matheson notched an assist, doing everything he does best. Matheson tracked back in his own zone and stick checked the puck away from Mitch Marner. The 31-year-old defenseman gathered the puck from the boards, angled away from a hacking Marner and quickly got the puck up ice to lead to a Jake Evans goal. Of course, Matheson also had 23:54 time on ice and three blocks on the night as well.

With this signing, the Canadiens now have a formidable defensive nucleus of Mike Matheson, Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson, who are locked up until at least 2031. This now gives Montreal options when it comes to what prospects are more likely to make the jump, and what they might be able to give up as leverage in a trade.