Matheson’s Value
April 20, 2024
By Bob Trask
The old axiom in the NHL is that defencemen have a higher asset value than a forward – all else being equal. For those who salivate at the thought of trading Mike Matheson for an up-and-coming player, let’s take a closer look. Matheson was the ninth leading scorer among NHL defencemen on a team that ranked 26th in scoring. Among left-shot defencemen, he was fifth in scoring. What could his numbers have been if he played with more offensively talented forwards? Now let’s take a look at the ninth-highest-scoring forward. It is J.T. Miller with 103 points. If you want to limit your target to RWs (a position of need for the Habs), the ninth-highest point-getter is Travis Konecny with 33 goals and 68 points; the fifth-highest is Mitch Marner with 85 points. Another key number that always works into the equation is cap hit. Matheson put up those numbers with the 62nd-highest cap hit among NHL defencemen, making him one of the biggest bargains in the league. Taking all of that into consideration, it seems doubtful that Hughes will trade his highest-scoring defenceman for a forward who is unproven but has potential. – Trask