The Montreal Canadiens have made plenty of moves to their blue line, and now could subtract from it in a trade.
Heavy.com proposed a deal that would see the Canadiens deal Mike Matheson to the Edmonton Oilers in an intriguing move.
Canadiens acquire:
- Connor Clattenburg
- 2025 third-round pick
Oilers acquire:
The proposed deal makes sense as Edmonton gets a clear upgrade on defense while Montreal clears some cap space for a prospect and a draft pick.
The Canadiens would acquire a third-round pick, which would be a key part of the deal. Montreal would also acquire Clattenburg, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Draft. The centerman is a gritty forward who racked up 108 penalty minutes last season in the OHL. Clattenburg will likely play in the AHL next season for Montreal, but could be a fourth-line player who plays physical and fights in the NHL.
In return, the Canadiens would give up Matheson, who’s in the final year of his eight-year, $39 million deal. Matheson is no longer needed on the Canadiens’ blue line after the team traded for Noah Dobson and has top prospect David Reinbacher potentially reaching the NHL. Matheson skated in 80 games, recording 6 goals and 25 assists for 31 points. He would fit in nicely on the Oilers’ left side of the blue line and give Edmonton another veteran defenseman.
Insider: Oilers Have Interest in Matheson
Edmonton has lost in the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back years and is looking to shake up its roster.
NHL insider Marco D’Amico of RG.org revealed that the Oilers have interest in trading for Matheson and have explored it with the Canadiens.
“The Edmonton Oilers have made it known they want to upgrade their defense, and sources confirmed they’ve expressed interest in Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson,” D’Amico wrote. “The Oilers are said to value Matheson’s mobility and ability to carry the puck out of the defensive zone—qualities they feel could complement their high-octane offense led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Matheson’s name is one to watch as Edmonton looks to solidify its back end.”
With Matheson in the final year of his deal, his name has come up in trade talks. Edmonton also could use an upgrade on the left side behind Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse. Matheson would be a great veteran behind those two and solidify the blue line.
Matheson has skated in 627 NHL career games.
Canadiens Make Changes to Blue Line
Montreal has been aggressively shaking up its blue line this offseason.
The Canadiens’ first move was acquiring Dobson from the New York Islanders and signing him to an eight-year deal. Dobson also took under $10 million per season, and Canadiens’ GM Kent Hughes is happy to add Dobson.
“It’s great that he was willing to do that,” Hughes said. “Speaking to Noah and to his representatives, I think it was really important that we showed strides this year in terms of where the team is going and looking at the roster and believing in what we have and what we can put together. Because that was important for him to be able to go to a team where he felt like he could win and he could grow with the team.”
Montreal then traded defensive prospect Logan Mailloux to the St. Louis Blues for Zachary Bolduc in a one-for-one trade involving young players.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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