Best early Mike Matheson landing spots before 2025 NHL trade deadline

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Early into the 2024-25 NHL season, the Montreal Canadiens seemed destined to sell at the trade deadline. The Canadiens sat near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, still just looking to come out of their rebuild.

However, the club has turned things around, emerging as one of the league’s hottest teams since mid-December. Montreal has won nine of their last 11 games, suddenly in contention for a playoff spot in the East. As a result, it’s a bit more up in the air as to whether the team will end up selling off pieces after all. Subtracting key players in favor of future assets would hurt their momentum and playoff odds.

At the same time, the Canadiens are still building for long-term success. While dealing away roster pieces could hurt short-term, it’s something management will almost certainly still consider ahead of the trade deadline. Plus, with about two months to go until the trade deadline, we don’t know whether the Canadiens will still be in the playoff mix closer to that point.

If the Canadiens do opt to sell, they have some players who make sense to move. Jake Evans is one of the more notable unrestricted free agents who could be dealt, along with David Savard. But the player who arguably may bring back the biggest return is defenseman Mike Matheson.

Matheson is 30 years old and still has another year remaining on his contract. Originally acquired by the Canadiens in 2022, the defenseman has taken his career to new heights since arriving in Montreal. Over 168 games with the team across three seasons, Matheson has scored at a pace of 57 points per 82 games, averaging 25 minutes per game in ice time. So if the Canadiens did opt to move Matheson, he could bring back a sizeable return.

Below, we take a look at three teams who could look to acquire Matheson, if the Canadiens were willing to move him.

Mike Matheson could be an impact addition for Oilers

Edmonton fell one win short of a Stanley Cup last season, but their roster remained mostly intact over the offseason. But while the Oilers’ offense is obviously capable, their defense group remains a weak point in comparison.

The last major upgrade to their blue line came two years ago, when the Oilers acquired Mattias Ekholm. Edmonton may have an established top pairing, but the rest of the defense group isn’t wildly well-rounded.

Cody Ceci was shipped out over the summer, and while the move cleared cap space, the Oilers didn’t make a substantial upgrade on the blue line. With Matheson able to play on the right side as well, he would immediately provide a boost to the team’s top-four group.

The Oilers do lack a 2025 first-round pick though, as well as cap space. So there are some factors working against a potential trade. But Matheson has a bit of term left on his contract, and his $4.9 million cap hit remains a team-friendly number. If they can put together a worthwhile package of future assets and offset Matheson’s cap hit in the pieces they send back, Edmonton is one of the more realistic landing spots. With the Oilers in win-now mode, it’s a move that makes sense.

Stars are likely to add a defenseman

Looking at the Dallas Stars’ group of left-handed defensemen, there’s not really a need for improvement. Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Thomas Harley make up a great trio of left-shot defenders.

But the team’s right side isn’t quite as strong. No right-handed defenseman on the team is even averaging 17 minutes per game in ice time this season. If Matheson was acquired, he’d give the Stars a great option to use on the right side.

The Stars already have a well-rounded forward group, and a blue line upgrade makes sense. Dallas has struggled to get over the hump in the playoffs, and Matheson could be a piece to help them do it.

Matheson could help Canucks turn things around

The Canucks currently have some of their own roster issues to work out. With buzz surrounding a rift between Elias Pettersson and JT Miller seemingly not going away, it’s possible the Canucks will need to prioritize facilitating a major trade involving one of their top stars.

At the same time, Vancouver remains a threat in the West. Coming off a great year, the Canucks have a roster that can compete and if they were to upgrade, it’s possible they could look towards their blue line.

Similar to Edmonton, the Canucks have an established top pairing once Filip Hronek returns. But the Hronek/Quinn Hughes pairing is really the only source of offense from the blue line. Adding Matheson would not only provide a major boost to the team’s second pairing, but he’d also be another key source of offense.

The Canucks possess a first-round pick this year, so the team holds a key trade chip to help facilitate a move. Vancouver is watching their season slide, and Matheson could be a catalyst to help turns things around.

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