"Michael Matheson is more likely to be lost as a free agent than traded"
With an average playing time of nearly 26 minutes since the start of the season, Michael Matheson has once again established himself as the pillar of the Canadiens' defense this season.
However, with the emergence of young players, particularly Lane Hutson since the start of the season, some Canadiens fans are wondering if Kent Hughes should not be tempted to trade his defenseman while he has some value.
The 30-year-old veteran will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025-2026 season, at a time when the Canadiens could potentially become a contender for a playoff spot.
Should Kent Hughes take advantage of the fact that Matheson has very good value right now and trade him?
It's a rather difficult question but for Mathias Brunet, Matheson should stay in Montreal until the end of his contract.
At least that's what he said during a recent appearance on BPM Sports.
In fact, Brunet mentioned that in the current situation the Canadiens find themselves in, it will be difficult to trade Matheson before his contract expires.
He also suggests that the presence of such a quality veteran on a team that is advanced in its rebuilding process can only be beneficial for the development of the youngsters.
We know that the Canadiens have a very young defensive brigade and it is rather reassuring for Kaiden Guhle and Lane Hutson to have a veteran on the team they can rely on.
Brunet then drew a parallel with Kent Hughes' first trade when he took over in the winter of 2022. The latter traded Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames when there were still two more years left on the forward's contract, who had a season of 28 goals in 52 games in 2020-2021.
At the time of the trade, the Canadiens were just starting their rebuild and Hughes managed to get an interesting return for his forward.
The fact remains that, for now, Michael Matheson remains the Canadiens' quarterback on the power play, but if a certain Lane Hutson were to take his position, it could be that Kent Hughes would start contacting the other general managers in the league.
