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That is true. It's a quiet time of year for hockey writers, they need to find something to write about.

St-Louis got Matheson to play a more defensive role--and, yes, Hutson's arrival was one reason why, but Savard's decline and Kovacevic's departure would also have been factors. Matheson talked about his new role in multiple interviews during the season.

He's a superstar. Can't see it myself.

i can see Hutson being a Beast on the right side as long as the D breakdowns that happen dont reach to his head too far

Matheson #s dropped, assume some must be the Hutson-factor. 23-24 82gms 25:33 62pts PP-3:41 PK-2:59 24-25 80gms 25:05 30pts PP-1:57 PK-3:28 Who knows, maybe he and Dobson could be a good pairing and just stick Hutson on right-side with Guhle?

Yes, good post. What do you do with Matheson? If he is willing to accept a lesser roll with a bit of a hometown discount then perhaps you extend him. If not then you have to look at trading him. I am sure Matheson has had discussions with Hughes about his future. His next contract will also likely be his last chance at making good money. But if he can help get somebody to fill the 2c role then he is likely gone.

So what do you do with Matheson? Used to playing 25minutes/game but no longer will, he will get zero PP time anymore and his contract is running out. So trading him at some point still makes sense, be in now, mid-season or at deadline (least preferred if in a playoff spot). BUT, he is the only Hab d-man over the age of 28, so creating an even younger d-core likely not recommended. Will be interesting and are always injuries so need depth also.

OK, so I started with a list of the NHL starters (30 goalies who played at least 41 games) and narrowed it to the younger ones (more recent picks); I used 28 as the cutoff, which gave me 17 goalies. Five Canadians, five Americans and seven Europeans (two Czechs, two Russians, two Swedes and one Finn) Six from CHL (1 OHL, 1 QMJHL and 4 WHL), four from NCAA, three from Liiga, two from SHL and one each from ExtraLiga and KHL. Four out of five US goalies chose the NCAA route, in Europe Liiga was a popular option for young goalies. List, sorted by games played: Rank Country Name League Team Age Games GAA SPCT 3 CA Samuel Montembeault QMJHL MTL 28 62 2.82 0.901 6 SE Filip Gustavsson SHL MIN 26 58 2.56 0.914 7 US Jake Oettinger NCAA DAL 26 58 2.59 0.909 8 US Jeremy Swayman NCAA BOS 26 58 3.12 0.892 9 CZ Karel Vejmelka ExtraLiga UTA 28 58 2.58 0.904 11 US Joey Daccord NCAA SEA 28 57 2.75 0.906 13 CA Mackenzie Blackwood OHL COL 28 56 2.55 0.912 14 FI Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Liiga BUF 25 55 3.2 0.887 16 CZ Lukas Dostal Liiga ANA 24 54 3.1 0.903 17 US Dustin Wolf WHL CGY 23 53 2.64 0.91 20 CA Stuart Skinner WHL EDM 26 51 2.81 0.896 22 CA Adin Hill WHL VGK 28 50 2.47 0.906 24 RU Alexandar Georgiev Liiga SJS 28 49 3.71 0.875 25 RU Pyotr Kochetkov KHL CAR 25 47 2.6 0.897 27 SE Samuel Ersson SHL PHI 25 47 3.14 0.883 29 CA Logan Thompson WHL WSH 27 43 2.48 0.91 30 US Joseph Woll NCAA TOR 26 42 2.73 0.909

I get the argument for the players locked at old-market rates, but we went from 3 assets I was willing to trade for a real #2C (combination of 1st picks, Mailloux + and Matheson +) to only one. So I feel trading Matheson + for another winger is what kinda derails (or rush) the rebuild.

What is track record of CHL vs NCAA goalies upon graduating to pros? Seems most of best goalies are European, arnt they? Who do play more games/season than NCAA also.

I'd also add that maybe Gorton and Hughes still rate our guys better than we do as fans a) Dach is still highly rated regardless of knee issue B) they consider Newhook more of a C than a W, as his history throughout his career in all leagues suggest (including the NHL) C) expecting Hage to jump straight into the NHL from NCAA D) Beck and Kapanan as quality depth centers

I'm curious to see how people view goalie development. Playing more games and facing more shots in the CHL may be a better option for many goalies.

Noel Hoefenmayer has signed a one-year deal with HK Sochi of the KHL so, as expected, he won't be back in Laval.

2025-26 Depth Assessment: Goalies – HabsWorld.net Needs Assessment: Low – Is this Montreal’s long-term tandem between the pipes? Probably not but Montembeault is set as the starter for the next little while and they need to see if Dobes is a potential longer-term option for them. With playoff hopes, there’s some risk here but no realistic way to get a meaningful upgrade either. Needs Assessment: Low – With what should be (pending waiver clearance) Kahkonen and Fowler in goal, Laval’s in good shape. With Gaudreau and Jones set to play in Trois-Rivieres as well, they’re set unless they want a third goalie.

If only Pittsburgh had some C to trade 🤔

The "Gavin Games" in full force?

It depends on what they would move to get him. If it's a heavy futures-based package like the Dobson deal, then yes, it could be rushing things. But if it's more of a player-player swap (Matheson with some futures), it's not quite the same. Kyrou has six years left on his deal too, something that wasn't the case with DeBrincat (four) and Chychrun (three). In theory, if you're adding a guy for that long, it's not just for the present but for the future as well. Honestly, I think the six years left might be what makes Montreal the most interested, getting players locked in at old-market rates before the rapid increase to the cap really drives prices up.

ahahahahahahaa nice

Why another winger, dosent even make sense, does it? Unless are trading a d-man & also a winger to make room. Cant see Hughes adding anything but a centre or maybe a vet d-man for depth. Matheson 31/Carriere 28, rest are 21-25yr old.

So the subjective fan reaction that "his fingerprints were on more goals against" is not supported by the objective fact that "he was on the ice for fewer shots and expected goals against at five-on-five this past year, compared to 2023-24" .

The "Covid coefficient" has also ended ... the cap didn't go down because of decreased revenues during covid and the players "paid it back" over the next few seasons, hence the flat cap

Blackhawks pick Frondell, Bruins prospect Hagens to attend World Junior Summer Showcase | NHL.com Mooney on Team USA.