Indeed, the Canadiens' number one defenseman played 82 games last year, and it showed. He achieved his highest career points total with 62.
An injury to Mike would be catastrophic for the Canadiens. Yes, there is a lot of depth on defense, but none can shoulder Matheson's load at the moment, not even Lane Hutson.
At practice on Monday, assistant captain Nick Suzuki gave us a bit of a scare when he crashed into the goal post headfirst and backward.
We know how fast he is, so it was frightening enough for the players to notice immediately.
Fortunately, it was more fear than harm in his case, and he stayed on the ice. Given the contact he had, the outcome could have been much worse.
Imagine if the Canadiens had to start the season without Patrik Laine and Michael Matheson. Logan Mailloux would likely get a nice promotion, but the Habs would struggle a lot.
Last year, Michael Matheson scored 11 goals and 52 assists for 62 points, with 58 penalty minutes. Since joining Montreal in the summer of 2022, Mike has had his two best seasons.
One can say without a doubt that playing at home suits Matheson!
POLL | ||
In your opinion, could the Canadiens recover from a major injury to Michael Matheson? | ||
Yes | 66 | 54.5 % |
No | 55 | 45.5 % |
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