Matheson playing with renewed happiness, confidence for Canadiens

MONTREAL -- Mike Matheson brought up the demons from his past in order to best describe the defenseman he is now, in his second season with the Montreal Canadiens.

"I'm now on the other side of the mountain," he said. "I look back on the difficult years and I wouldn't change them. I've come out of it a stronger person. I was better prepared to arrive in Montreal. I didn't go through those challenges at random. All the puzzle pieces fell in the right spot for me to become a member of the Canadiens.

"My last year in Florida [with the Panthers in 2019-20], I was in a bad place. I'd sometimes find myself scratched, I played some games as a winger, and I'd say to myself, 'Wow, this isn't going well.'

"There were days where I'd come home, and I wasn't happy. My play was really affecting me. I was no longer the same person. I was always feeling down, I didn't have any energy, and I probably went through some bouts of depression. I found it difficult to get out of bed to go to the arena. I just didn't have the motivation. I knew it was my fault. I wasn't looking to blame the coaches or anyone else. I'd look at my game and I'd rewatch my shifts. I knew I wasn't playing well; that was all on me. I had a lot of self-doubt. I'd wonder if I had what it takes to get to the level I wanted to be at."

Matheson has picked himself back up since that final season with the Panthers. By his own admission, he had to rebuild his game as well as his confidence during his two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins before finding another level to his game with the Canadiens, the team he grew up rooting for.

"I often look back on my years in Florida, where there were moments of doubt in my mind," he said. "I wondered if I was going to get the chance to show what I had deep inside. I even asked myself if I was truly able to play in this League. But today, I come to the arena with a smile on my face, I'm happy to be an important player, and I want to play the best I possibly can for the Canadiens."

It was in Pittsburgh from 2020-22 that Matheson rediscovered his happiness on the ice. He credited two teammates as well as assistant coach Todd Reirden.

"There was Sidney [Crosby] and Kris [Letang], but also Todd Reirden," Matheson said. "I would watch Crosby and Letang to see how they worked at the arena or in the gym. I was a hard-working guy, but I sometimes didn't hit the off switch often enough. If Crosby, who is as obsessed with this sport as anyone, can allow himself to forget about hockey for a while, I could do it too.

"I had been traded there in September [2020]. That was the season we were coming back from COVID. I watched videos with Todd starting in September. We'd talk once a week and he'd give me five clips to watch. At the following meeting, we'd watch them together and he'd give me five more. In our conversations, we also talked about life in general, not just hockey. It was amazing. I had a coach who cared about my happiness. When I started playing with the Penguins, I felt like he already knew me. He knew what I needed to hear, good or bad. I learned a lot with him. He gave me my confidence back."

Matheson was traded to the Canadiens on July 16, 2022, for defenseman Jeff Petry Petry and forward Ryan Poehling. Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes had been Matheson's agent, so he knew what kind of person as well as player Montreal was getting.

He had an NHL career-best 34 points (eight goals, 26 assists) in 48 games last season, but he's already matched that with 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 49 games this season.

Matheson is signed through the 2025-26 season, but he's hoping his time in Montreal lasts beyond that.

"I think it's a tremendous honor to put on the Canadiens jersey," he said. "I'd like to stay there until the end of my career. But at the same time, I've already been part of two trades. When you've already experienced the realities of being traded, you're a little less scared of it. It's no longer the unknown. I have the attitude where I have nothing to lose. I don't know if I'm going to stay here for two, three or eight more years. But I just want to make the most of my time here. I just hope that it'll be a long time.

"I haven't talked to Kent about that possibility. I think the organization is happy with my game. But I also know that the front office sometimes has tough decisions to make. I have no control over a trade. It wouldn't make sense to overthink it."

The Canadiens have several young defensemen already making an impact, among them Kaiden Guhle, 22, and Jordan Harris, 23, as well as top defenseman prospects Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher close to being NHL-ready. Matheson understands he could be used to add depth to another position ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on March 8. He also, though, knows the Canadiens need solid veterans to help guide and develop those young prospects.

"He's a star who works in the shadow, 100 percent," Guhle said recently of Matheson. "He scores points, he defends against the other teams' top lines, he plays on the power play and penalty kill. For those who haven't noticed yet, he's now making a name for himself as an elite [defenseman] in this League."

Goalie Sam Montembeault agreed that Matheson should be considered among the top players at his position.

"Mike has all the qualities of a No. 1 defenseman," he said. "He skates so well, he has incredible cardio and he's a hard worker. I also like his qualities as a leader. After the game in Boston [a 9-4 loss Jan. 20], he's the one who got up to speak to everyone. That was one of the first times he spoke up so loudly. But he picked the right moment to do it, after a 9-4 meltdown."

When told of what his teammates said, Matheson paused before replying.

"I'm not going to describe myself as a star, but I'll take the compliment," he said. "I like that there are some people who might think that I'm underrated."

Matheson is averaging 25:18 of ice time per game, the most of his nine NHL seasons, showing coach Martin St. Louis believes in him.

"If I had played for the Canadiens at 20, I don't know if I would've been strong enough to play like I do these days," Matheson said. "At a younger age, I probably wouldn't have handled the situation well. I'm older now, I'm a dad, and I have a different perspective on life. I'm not on Instagram or Twitter all the time. I don't have those apps on my phone. I don't look at that because I know it could upset me. I've eliminated that from my life. When I started in Montreal, I realized that I didn't really have a lot to lose, in a sense. I couldn't fall any further than I had during my last season in Florida.

"I'm just happy to play with the Canadiens. I always think back to that little kid who would've given absolutely everything to get his chance to play for the Canadiens. I just want to make that little kid in me proud, by playing hard and playing good hockey."