Mike Matheson would like to stay in Montreal, but he has no control over that
Richard Labbe of LA Press: Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson is entering the final year of his contract at a $4.8 million cap hit. The 31-year-old isn’t looking to move.
“We have no control over that,” his agent Philippe Lecavalier explained in an interview. “Mike has control over what he can control, whether he would like to be able to stay in Montreal, and the answer is yes. He also controls his performances, how he is able to play with his team. He is a guy who takes extremely good care of himself. He monitors his diet very closely, his workouts, everything he has to do.”
The Canadiens have Matheson, Noah Dobson, Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, and Alexandre Carrier, with Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj battling for the sixth spot. David Reinbacher will be wanting to crack the lineup as well. Struble and Xhekaj require waivers.
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Matheson has averaged over 25 minutes a night for the Canadiens the past two seasons. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Matheson. His offense dropped last year, with Lane Hutson taking over quarterbacking the first power-play unit.
Can the Colorado Avalanche find a number that works for Martin Necas, and two holes they may need to fill at the trade deadline?
Corey Masisak of the Denver Post: There are some pending free agents that will alter the market for Colorado Avalanche’s Martin Necas. Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner signed this offseason, but they took less than the open market. If the Avs can re-sign Necas, it has to be at a number that works now, and a number works after Cale Makar‘s next big contract. If they can’t find a number that works, they’ll need to find a trade that nets a big return.
The Avs have four right-handed defensemen in their top six. They’ll have to shift one to his off side. If that doesn’t work out, they could look to add a left-handed shot at the trade deadline.
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If pending UFA Jack Drury can’t handle the 3C slot, the Avs may need to acquire one at the deadline.
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