NHL Rumors: Canadiens eyeing to lock-in 31-year-old D-man on 'priority' after Lane Hutson’s team-friendly extension

The Montreal Canadiens are planning to extend defenseman Mike Matheson’s contract. Matheson is 31 years old and in the last year of his contract, worth $39 million over eight years.

Speaking on TSN's Insider Trading, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun said Matheson’s deal is now a team priority.

"Well, Mike Matheson is a UFA at the end of the year," LeBrun said on Tuesday. "And, you know, between the opportunity to trade for Noah Dobson in the off season, and, of course, that long negotiation with Lane Hutson, the Matheson, kind of got pushed to the side, but that's going to be a big priority now for Montreal management. They want to extend Mike Matheson."

Noah Dobson was acquired by the Canadiens after he signed an eight-year $76,000,000 deal with the Islanders in mid-July. And finally, the Habs inked Lane Hutson to an 8-year, $70.8 million contract extension this week. With both these moves, they have strengthened their blue line for several years now.

Matheson and his agent are open to starting extension talks soon. Montreal wants to find a fair contract length and salary that fits their cap plans.

"I'm told Mike Matheson and his agent are interested in having that conversation," LeBrun said. "So that'll get going at some point here in the near future.

"The question is, what's the sweet spot here? He's 31 years old. He does not want to sign a short term deal. I think it has to be four to five years for it to make sense for him. What's the AAV that makes sense for Montreal? They need something that fixed their cap culture."

Mike Matheson's contributions to Canadiens' strong start this season

Mike Matheson is a spectacular defenseman, known for generating offense from the blue line. So far this season, he has scored one goal and two assists in four games. Matheson’s best season came in 2023-24 with 62 points in 82 games. So, the Habs want to keep him in Montreal for depth on defense.

It becomes even more crucial after Matheson's contributions in the Canadiens' strong start this season. So far, they have won three out of their first four games.

They are once again looking to qualify for the playoffs after last season's progress. In April, the Habs finished with a 40-31-11 record and made the playoffs for the first time since 2021. They lost in the first round to the Washington Capitals, but it was a clear success for their rebuild.