The Canadiens adding Matheson to the team brings huge benefits to both sides – Hockey Writers –

How it works is that at 32 years old, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson still has a lot of energy left in him. Whether another five years will be available is anyone’s guess at this point, but the Habs are clearly more than willing to bet on him after extending the guard to a contract length worth an average of $6 million per season. At least, based on all the information they had, the odds were in their favor, which was the best anyone could hope for in this situation.

Matheson vs. Gallagher

This may not sound like a clear endorsement of Matheson, but when you’re in your early 30s in the NHL, teams would be wise to err on the side of caution during negotiations. Exhibit A is forward Brendan Gallagher, who was re-signed at age 28 to his latest contract that takes effect next year when, after a solid 2020-21 season (35 games) with 14 goals and 23 points, he had begun to show signs of decline, scoring just seven goals and 24 points in 2021-22 (56 games).

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Since then, Gallagher has had his ups and downs, but mostly the latter. To his credit, he did show signs of life over the past few seasons. For example, he scored 20 goals for the first time in the 2024-25 season before the outbreak. However, he’s 33 as of the 2025-26 season and is really starting to show his age. Matheson’s current contract is one of the Canadiens’ best, paying him $4.875 million per season, while Gallagher’s contract is widely considered the worst, without exception, largely due to its no-movement clause (NMC). Having said that, Matheson is actually three years older than Gallagher at the start of his latest contract and any concerns that he will start to show his age at the start of his latest deal are largely unfounded. After all, if it wasn’t clear, they are two different players.

Clearly, this goes beyond the position they play. Gallagher was a rugged forward who was willing to go to the corners and the net and take any physical punishment that came with it, which clearly took a toll on his longevity and overall body. Matheson’s bread and butter contrasts with his skating and ability to get the puck down the ice. That’s not to say he’s any worse than Gallagher. After all, he is the alternate captain. In fact, they are the youngest team in the NHL and a team in general need of leadership.

Re-signing Matheson makes sense

That was one of the main reasons to re-sign Matheson, who is also from the area and hopes to stay in Montreal. He’s a cultural fit. And what about the $6 million price tag? It makes sense, at least for now, considering he leads the Canadiens in ice time this season with 24:50 per game and will take the field on Friday afternoon. While he’s no longer the defensive scoring leader he was in 2023-24, when he scored a career-high 62 points, he’s also proving it was no fluke.

Of course, Matheson did score 34 points in 48 games in 2022-23. Therefore, it should not be considered one. However, with the emergence of Lane Hutson (who did lead the defense in scoring) last season, Matheson’s scoring did slow down to 31 points in 2024-25.

While there’s obviously still a lot of hockey left to play, his 14 points in 22 games so far puts him back in projected 50-plus point territory. There’s good reason to doubt he can maintain his offensive production in the twilight years of his career. By the same token, there’s good reason to doubt he’ll be as effective as he has been so far this season, not only with Hutson as the team’s top defenseman, but also after last summer’s trade of Noah Dobson, a 25-year-old former 70-point scorer from the blue line. However, the three of them succeeded.

Remember, Matheson signed Dobson after seeing him sign a contract that would pay him $9.5 million per year for the next eight years. Shortly thereafter, Hutson also extended the contract with the soon-to-be 22-year-old player, starting next season until he is 30 years old, with an average payment of $8.85 million.

Mysterious Montreal Canadiens hometown discount

It’s impossible to know for sure now, as Matheson is locked in until 2031. However, if he goes this route, it’s easy to see him leaving a lot on his plate as an unrestricted free agent. He’s not necessarily worth the same money based on his age, but teams do tend to bet the farm on less sure things early in free agency out of desperation. This deal feels like the embodiment of the Goldilocks principle: Just the right amount.

It’s further evidence of his desire to be a part of an organization that’s forming as a young core propels the Canadiens into contention. If there was such a thing as a Canadiens hometown discount, this is it (ironic, for an English-speaking country)…even if it does include the horrendous NMC for the first three years of the contract, according to PuckPedia.

That’s especially important considering Matheson entered most fans’ trade block this season, but primarily as the team’s most valuable trade chip. Not that he’s done a disservice to the on-ice product. It appears the Canadiens will have to find their elusive No. 2 center through other means. Furthermore, those who envisioned the Habs building Matheson into a big part of the future are going to have to get used to the fact that he is a big part of the future…and extremely valuable, arguably more than his new $6 million cap hit. That’s what really matters when evaluating this deal.

With a relatively modest raise, Matheson should continue to provide good value for the price tag any other organization is actually paying, whether it’s a team looking for that last piece or a basement team in need of veteran leadership…or in the Canadiens’ case, some combination of the two, right in the middle. It fits perfectly with Matheson.