We now know why Kent Hughes really wanted to acquire Michael Matheson and it speaks volumes
Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes once again wowed the gallery yesterday with his exceptional availability.
A few minutes after the Jeff Petry trade and the acquisition of Michael Matheson, Hughes was at the press conference. Remember that yesterday afternoon, Hughes traded Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Michael Matheson and a fourth round pick.
Things to remember:
- The Jeff Petry file is finally settled.
- Matheson is a former client of Kent Hughes, from his days as a player agent. (He knows him very well)
- Matheson is going to fit in very well in the locker room and he's going to help the young guys
Why Michael Matheson (per Kent Hughes)
- Kent Hughes was desperate for a defenseman, in exchange for Petry, and Matheson is a very mobile one and capable of carrying the puck well.
- The Penguins really didn't want to trade Matheson, but Hughes "held his ground" and got him.
- Matheson is a custom-made defenseman for a head coach like Martin St-Louis and he is going to look a lot better under St-Louis.
- Former general manager Dale Tallon saw him as his "next Duncan Keith."
- Kristopher Letang, Matheson's Pittsburgh teammate and former Kent Hughes client, highly recommended Matheson.
Basically, the Montreal Canadiens just got their hands on a younger defenseman (28 years old), who is a Quebecer and is very happy to be moving to Montreal, who is an exceptional person and a great teammate, who has an incredible skating stroke and who is very mobile.
Matheson has 31 points in 74 games in 2021-22. (11 goals) He earns $4.875 million through 2026.
For details:
| POLL | ||
Are you pleased with the addition of Mike Matheson? | ||
| Yes | 417 | 81 % |
| No | 98 | 19 % |
| List of polls | ||
