The Canadiens have agreed to a five-year contract extension (2026-27 to 2030-31) with defenseman Mike Matheson
News item ↓ #GoHabsGo https://t.co/j4zZ1bGjFU
— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) November 28, 2025
NHL Rumors: The Montreal Canadiens may want to be patient with a Mike Matheson extension
Matheson’s new deal with the Canadiens has an AAV of $6 million.
Habs make it official: $6M AAV https://t.co/Xzl5FP3zGP
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) November 28, 2025
To get around the differences in tax laws between Montreal and the rest of Canada, Matheson will receive $20.8 million of the $30 million in signing bonuses. Additionally, Matheson has a full no-movement clause in the first three years of the deal and a 14-team no-trade list in year four and a five-team no-trade list in year five.
Matheson’s new contract comes with a full NMC in years 1-3, a 14-team no-trade list in year 4, and a 5-team no-trade list in year 5.
$Breakdown:
Year 1: $2.5 million salary, $5 million signing bonus
Year 2: $2.5 million / $5 million SB
Year 3: $2.2 million / $3.8 million SB
Year 4: $1 million / $3.5 million SB
Year 5: $1 million / $3.5 million SB— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) November 28, 2025
This was a no-brainer from the start between the Canadiens and Mike Matheson. This is a player the Canadiens needed on the backend. Montreal wanted to keep him, and the player wanted to stay. The fact that it is below market value again shows how players want to be in Montreal and be part of a winner.
NHL Rumors: All options on the table for Mike Matheson and the Montreal Canadiens
As mentioned during a performance on TSN Radio in Montreal last Julyto get Mike Matheson a team-friendly deal,”that’s a win for both parties.” Not to mention, Matheson is a steady defender on the Canadiens blueline who can also provide offense. Again, for a team looking to take the next step, they need another experienced defenseman on the blue line to guide their young players.
It shows that Hughes and Jeff Gorton understand that they can’t ask young defensemen to punch above their weight class if you’re trying to be a consistent playoff team. It is also always a young defender like David Reinbacher who develops at his own pace when he returns from injury.
Matheson is having a nice bounce-back season for the Canadiens. He has 14 points (four goals and 10 assists) in 22 games with the Canadiens this season, along with a +13 while logging 24:50 minutes of ice time. In 649 regular season games, Matheson recorded 279 points (78 goals and 201 assists).
Mike Matheson, extended for 5x$6 million by MTL, is an experienced defenseman with smooth skating who plays a lot of tough minutes and is very involved on the ice. His numbers on the ice don’t necessarily match the amount of stuff he does, especially in his own zone where he is a very active defender. pic.twitter.com/BoqfwKD1Y7
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) November 28, 2025
NHL Rumors: The best option for the Montreal Canadiens is to keep Mike Matheson
Additionally, with the Canadiens being heavily mentioned in trade circles surrounding Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators, with the going rate being a top prospect and a first-round pick, the signing of Mike Matheson allows the Canadiens to move a player like Arber Xhekaj, Adam Engstrom or possibly Jayden Struble, plus a pick, to acquire that second-line center.
Once again, the Montreal Canadiens are open to a first-round pick this year to improve. Gorton and Hughes are open to being aggressive while staying the course for their plan. That plan always involved Mike Matheson on the back end.
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