Canadiens reportedly place former 60-point defenseman on the trade block after the emergence of Lane Hutson
A new report from a pair of insiders has revealed that Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson's days in Montreal could be coming to an end.
With the Canadiens struggling to string together wins reports have started to surface about several veterans who could potentially be available in a trade at the upcoming deadline.
One of the players with the most buzz around him is former elite scoring defenseman Mike Matheson.
After tallying over 60 points on the Canadiens top pair last season Matheson has struggled to repeat that success in 2024-25.
His top offensive role has slowly been handed off to rookie sensation Lane Hutson who is currently setting the league on fire.
Hutson's incredible success along with other young defensemen like David Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux waiting for their opportunity has made some of the Canadiens' other veteran defensemen more expendable.
This afternoon a new set of reports from Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun has now revealed that the Canadiens and GM Kent Hughes are open to moving on from Matheson and potentially David Savard as well.
No. 1, we know what that Montreal Canadiens blueline should look like in the not too distant future. So you're going to see the likes of David Reinbacher, you're going to see Logan Mailloux occupying a full-time position on that Montreal blueline. Alright, so they create a little bit more room there, but they also bring in the experience of Alexandre Carrier and that could help them kind of make their way to the future.
But in the meantime, if someone were to make an offer on say veteran defenceman like Savard or (Mike) Matheson, then this gives backfill to Kent Hughes to consider that between now and March 7th. So Kent Hughes is in a pretty good spot in terms of trying to bolster what he already has
If the Canadiens continue to slide further down the standings and out of a Stanley Cup Playoff spot then eventually Hughes and the Canadiens will likely pull the trigger on the youth movement.
If the Canadiens are going to move on from Matheson and Savard though they will likely need lucrative offers to make parting with veterans a bit easier to swallow.
As more information comes out regarding the Montreal Canadiens trade deadline plans we will keep you up to date on the latest details.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 26 | 89 ANSWERS Canadiens reportedly place former 60-point defenseman on the trade block after the emergence of Lane Hutson Should the Montreal Canadiens trade veterans like Mike Matheson to give young prospects NHL opportunities? | ||
| Yes let the young guys play | 61 | 68.5 % |
| No make the young guys earn the ice time | 28 | 31.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
