YOUNG CANADIENS CAN LEARN A LOT BY WATCHING MATHESON
Defenceman leads by example, whether working hard on the ice or on his fitness
When Arber Xhekaj was sent down to the AHL'S Laval Rocket in early December, Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said the young defenceman still needed to learn how to be a pro.
Now that Xhekaj is back with the Canadiens, he doesn't have to look far to see what St. Louis meant. Mike Matheson sits right beside Xhekaj in the locker-room.
“He knows how to be a pro,” Xhekaj said about Matheson following the Canadiens' morning skate Thursday at the Bell Centre. “On the ice, he's got all the good habits. He brings it every practice. Off the ice, you can see he's always looking at his nutrition, finding new ways to be more healthy. He takes care of his body in the gym and he just has that pro mindset every day. As soon as he gets on the ice, it's go time. No messing around, whether it's practice or a game. He's a really good leader and role model for me.”
Matheson missed practice Wednesday in Brossard for a well-deserved therapy day, but was back on the ice Thursday morning. The 29-year-old ranks third in the NHL in total ice time and was averaging 25:14 per game before facing the New York Islanders.
There's a reason why Matheson wears an “A” on his sweater as an assistant captain and St. Louis said young players like Xhekaj should pay attention to his compete level.
Matheson's fitness level is also off the charts and he's an outstanding skater. Matheson said a lot goes into his conditioning. That includes diet, making sure he gets proper sleep, working with the team's fitness trainers and strength coaches, and many cold tubs.
“It's a 24/7 affair when it comes to that,” he said about fitness. “Getting home at 3 a.m. after a plane ride and getting down to do a little stretch instead of just going straight to bed. All that kind of stuff definitely makes a big difference.”
When asked about the monster minutes he's logging, Matheson said: “I love it. I think there's definitely an added appreciation for it knowing what I've been through earlier in my career and just dying to be able to get a chance and show what I can do. Definitely a lot of appreciation to be trusted with that much and with that responsibility. Trying to do the best I can with it.”
During his two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins before being acquired by the Canadiens in the summer of 2022, Matheson averaged less than 19 minutes of ice time per game.
Heading into Thursday's game, Matheson had 7-25-32 totals to rank third on the Canadiens in scoring behind Nick Suzuki (1227-39) and Cole Caufield (16-2036). Matheson had a minus-16 differential, a sign of playing so many minutes as a defenceman on a rebuilding team that isn't very good, and he also led the Canadiens in giveaways with 47 — 17 more than Suzuki.
There are plenty of Habs fans on social media who criticize Matheson for his giveaways. But when you're on the ice as much as he is as a defenceman and have the puck on your stick so often, the number of giveaways aren't shocking. Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov led the NHL in giveaways heading into Thursday's games with 62. Kucherov also ranked second in the NHL in scoring with 31-4980 totals, two points behind Colorado's Nathan Mackinnon (30-52-82), who leads the Avalanche with 50 turnovers.
“I definitely don't pay attention to all the noise,” Matheson said when asked about his turnovers and the reaction of some fans. “But if every time I got the puck I just shot it off the glass, we'd never win. That's just the nature of the game. So as much as turnovers are such a magnified thing within the game and people harp on them a lot, I think every guy on the team could make sure they had zero turnovers and we wouldn't win a single game. Seriously.”
St. Louis has given Matheson a long leash and he's not afraid to use it, which is a good thing. Would Canadiens fans prefer to go back to previous coaching regimes when defencemen weren't allowed to carry the puck much past centre ice or allowed to pinch in at the defensive blue line? When puck-off-the-glass in the defensive zone was the common play?
Matheson said he's not sure if St. Louis will tighten the leash as this rebuild moves forward.
“I don't think so,” the defenceman said. “I think regardless of what's going on, my goal is definitely to play very solid hockey and not just be out there winging it and seeing what happens. A lot of calculated risk. If you're going to take some risk, what's the benefit? Is it a breakaway or is it to make it a two-on-two? Then the risk just isn't there. That's something you should constantly be evaluating.”
Canadiens fans should also think about that when they're evaluating Matheson's play.
As soon as he gets on the ice, it's go time. No messing around, whether it's practice or a game.