Oilers & Canadiens Becoming Trade Partners With Key D-Man Involved

The Montreal Canadiens have already had an eventful offseason, most notably acquiring premium young defenseman Noah Dobson from the NY Islanders. The latest word, from insider Marco D'Amico in rg.org, has the Habs listening on talks revolving around workhorse D-man Mike Matheson, with the Edmonton Oilers eyeing the 31-year-old.

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. 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.

Of course, the Oilers already have an elite mobile, puck-carrying blueliner in Evan Bouchard, and Jake Walman is on board as well, but it's easy to understand their attraction to Matheson. Although he's a left-shot, he can play both sides, and has averaged over 25 minutes of ice-time in each of the last two seasons with Montreal. He recorded a career-high 51 assists and 62 points in the 2023-24 season, though dipping back down to 31 points this past year. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder has also blocked 354 shots over the last two seasons.

Matheson's name has been on the rumor mill for some time now, as he gets set to enter the final season of an eight-year deal that pays him $4.875 million annually. The Oilers had been linked to him earlier this season, and are obviously revisiting that now.

No word yet on what the Habs would be looking for in return.