At the end-of-season review, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton shared one of their objectives for the summer.
They wanted to get their hands on a 2nd center.
The specific goal: to find a way to surround Ivan Demidov.
So far, the Canadiens haven’t succeeded.
Kent Hughes traded Logan Mailloux yesterday for Zachary Bolduc, he acquired Noah Dobson last Friday… and he made a few moves here and there yesterday, for the opening of the NHL free agent market.
But he still hasn’t found his famous 2nd center. And… at the moment, the only obvious piece of equipment that could help him find a player who can fill that role is Mike Matheson.
Does Kent Hughes absolutely have to put Matheson on the market to fill that need?
The Canadiens’ GM said yesterday that he sees himself continuing with Mike Matheson in Montreal.
But…
But if there’s an offer on the table to acquire a 2nd center and Matheson has to leave, maybe that can also entice Kent Hughes to let him go.
Matheson will be as free as a bird from next summer, and although he seems to want to stay in Montreal, that’s not a certainty either.
And as long as we’re losing the defender for absolutely nothing… taking advantage of his value right now doesn’t seem crazy either.
At the same time, we know that Matheson is an important player for the Canadiens. He now has a more defensive role, he’s a good leader of the group and he helped the Habs secure their playoff berth last season.
I’m not saying he absolutely has to be traded… but on the other hand, if it’s to improve the club’s top-6, I’d be willing to see him traded by the Canadiens.
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