Mike Matheson has had an unusual beginning to the season. While his scoring output is impressive, many fans are express ing disappointment in his defensive play.
Despite all the attention surrounding Matheson, the 30-year-old defenseman is currently performing exceptionally well in terms of points.
He’s actually on pace for the highest scoring season of his career, tallying eight points in nine games, which would project him to finish with around 72 points (exactly 72.88) if he maintains this rate. Last season, he achieved 62 points, marking his best NHL performance to date.
However, it’s important not to get too carried away, as this projection relies on him sustaining his points-per-game average and playing every game for the Canadiens this season.
While anything is possible, it’s likely he may face challenges that could hinder his progress.
The same can be said for Cole Caufield. Despite scoring eight goals in nine games, predicting that he will end the season with 72 goals is highly improbable.
Nonetheless, we can’t overlook Matheson’s strong performances. With Guhle absent, he and Hutson have been logging considerable ice time, which can be quite taxing, especially during back-to-back games.
Matheson has started the season so well that he ranks fifth among all NHL defensemen in points, tied with Victor Hedman, Shea Theodore, Adam Fox, and Josh Morrissey. That’s impressive!
His 23 penalty minutes also place him ahead of Brenden Dillon, even though Dillon has participated in three more games than Matheson.
To round off his excellent start to the season, the only thing left for him to do is to score his first goal.
